


The town called Riverdale

by satelliteinasupernova



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Drowning, F/M, Horror, Loss of Agency, Mutual Pining, Mystery, Panic Attacks, Self-Harm, Weirdness induced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-07 20:51:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14679261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satelliteinasupernova/pseuds/satelliteinasupernova
Summary: In the town of Riverdale, everything is always the same.Archie, the golden boy. Betty, the girl next door. Jughead, the outsider.orArchie avoids. Betty waits. Jughead writes.Veronica, however, has never been one to stick to the status quo.





	1. Intro.

**Author's Note:**

> A million and one thanks to my wonderful beta Yavannie, whose input has helped make this fic better in so many ways!
> 
> The art for this chapter, and eventually future chapters can also be viewed [on tumblr.](http://satelliteinasupernova.tumblr.com)

 

Veronica had never visited the small town of Riverdale, but she had heard it mentioned in the stories her parents would tell about the early days of their romance. How they had teased and flirted during high school, how her father's eyes had been set only on her mother, and finally, how she had chosen him and left town for a glamorous life in New York City. Her father always winked at Veronica after reminiscing, and would take her mother's hand to press a brief kiss to it.  
  
Veronica pictured it all like a movie, classic and timeless. Her parents would be dressed smartly, well accessorized. There would be lights all aglow to beautifully capture the romance of her parents’ young lives. Overhead the stars would be twinkling gently down on them, and the quiet river would create a soft melody as her parents leaned into each other, overlooking the sight from a beautiful iron bridge, just like she had seen in the small framed picture placed atop their fireplace.  
  
Veronica had never actually put much thought into what it would be like to go to Riverdale. She had never expected to have a reason to find herself there. The big city had always been her life, and it was where both her parents had created deep social roots. Instead, Riverdale was just a fairy tale, somewhere that only existed as a backdrop to her parents’ memories.  
  
But her life in the big city ended abruptly, and Veronica found herself leaving her home and everything she knew as her mother returned to the small town of Riverdale in disgrace. Her father, now held in jail for embezzlement, would not be joining them.  
  
The Riverdale that Veronica saw as their car drove into town was not the picturesque view she had always imagined. It was much smaller than she knew a town could be. Quiet, and a little run down. It was early evening when they arrived, but it was as though the whole town was already asleep. The small penthouse her mother brought them to paled in comparison to the multiple elegant apartments they had had in the city, but it at least had some feeling of glamour to it.  
  
Veronica decided that she could embrace it. This was her life now, and she would make it work.  
  
A new town, a new life, a new her.  
  
  
  
Veronica considered it destiny that during her first outing in Riverdale she came across people her age.  
  
Her mother had specifically requested a meal from Pop's Chock’lit Shoppe, a diner that she was told had all the charm a small town had to offer, something impossible to find in the city. So, Veronica had ventured out, to embrace this so called ‘small town charm.’  
  
Just stepping through the door felt like being transported to a different time. A welcoming tune was playing lightly from a corner jukebox, and warm lights made the whole area glow in hues of red. Her nose was hit with sweet smells, tinged with grease and savory seasoning.  
  
The diner was empty, except for a young couple sitting across from each other a few booths down. They seemed to have been in deep discussion, but as soon as she walked in, they both noticed her entrance and looked at her with a long curious stare. 

  
At the front, an older gentleman with a bright smile greeted her. He introduced himself as Pop, the owner of the diner and seemed genuinely happy to hear that her mother was back in town.   
  
When Pop stepped away to fill her order, she glanced back to the couple. One of them was a striking young man with deep red hair, practically glowing in the brilliant light of the diner. The other was a girl her age, hair in a tight, perfect ponytail, her pose proper even as she turned back to look at Veronica. The two of them seemed to fit right into the atmosphere of the diner. In that moment framed under the diner lights, they seemed timeless, like characters on a film screen. Here was the Riverdale Veronica had always imagined.   
  
Even before speaking to them, she had decided they would be friends.   
  
Veronica knew how to make a good first impression. Charm was a necessary component to navigating the judgmental social hierarchy Veronica had known all her life. At an easy pace, she sauntered to their table and smiled, “I've been told this is the best place to get a quick meal in Riverdale. What would you say?" As the tempting smell of grease hit her again, she added, “How are the onion rings?”   
  
The young man responded with a warm and contagious smile, “The best.”   
  
Veronica looked over at Pop to make a new request, but before she could speak, he nodded and waved a hand, moving out of sight to the kitchen.   
  
Turning back to the two in the booth, she took this moment to introduce herself, “I'm Veronica Lodge, new to Riverdale.” She placed a hand out in the air, prepared to shake theirs. The girl with the impeccable ponytail had yet to speak, but was eyeing her warily. Veronica refused to be deterred.   
  
Luckily, the young man took the offer and shook her hand, “I'm Archie, and this is Betty.” He nodded to his companion. “Are you going to Riverdale High?”   
  
On the drive into Riverdale, her mother had given her a general breakdown of the school she would be attending. Our Fair Riverdale. The formative high school of both her parents. The house that held numerous wrestling trophies her father had earned during his high school years. The very place where their romance had bloomed.   
  
“Why, yes,” She grinned, “Starting tomorrow. I’ll be joining you, then?”   
  
Betty looked thoughtful, but nodded, “Peer mentorship was assigned to me at the beginning of the school year, so I'll help you around school.” Even though her words were confident, her forehead was wrinkled, as though Veronica was a puzzle she couldn't quite work out. Betty seemed closed off, but Veronica was determined not to miss the opportunity to establish a friendship.   
  
She answered with a smile of her own, and added with enthusiasm, “Great!”   
  
“You know,” Archie interrupted thoughtfully, “I can't remember the last time someone new came to town. It almost never happens.”   
  
“It really doesn't,” Betty agreed.   
  
“Well. I promise to be an interesting addition. My parents both come from this town, you know. It's in my blood.” Archie responded to this comment with a warm laugh, but Betty's expression grew darker. It was clearly a look of concern.   
  
As Veronica contemplated what Betty's expression meant, the moment was interrupted by Pop's return, food bagged and ready in his hands.   
  
No longer having an excuse to wait around, Veronica decided to postpone further development for school. She aimed for an alluring look as she turned back to the others to say goodbye, “Well, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, then. I am counting on you both to help me, as the new girl.”   
  
“We'll have your back, Veronica.” Archie said with a smile.   
  
Betty's response was more studied, “It was nice meeting you, Veronica.”   
  
With a final smile, Veronica turned toward the door, but stopped abruptly as she noticed an unfamiliar sound ringing through the diner.   
  
clack-clack-clack   
  
In the corner of her vision, there was a shadow.   
  
As she took another look around the diner, she found herself staring straight at a third person in the room. Prior to that moment, she would have sworn he hadn't been there.   
  
clack-clack-clack   
  
Hunched over in one of the back booths was a young man, dressed in flannel, with a knitted beanie cut into the shape of a crown. His face was half hidden behind a laptop, and he was completely engrossed in typing.   
  
clack-clack-clack   
  
The relentless sound echoed through the diner. She didn't understand why it hadn't stood out to her before that moment, but something about it set her on edge.   
  
Unnerved, she quickly left through the front door, her successful evening suddenly interrupted by a feeling of trepidation.


	2. I.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica has always known the town of Riverdale through pictures from her parents’ youth. The town that she finds herself in, however, is far more uncanny than she ever expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Yavannie for reviewing this chapter <3
> 
> Art for this fic can also be viewed [on tumblr.](http://satelliteinasupernova.tumblr.com/) Please spread it if you can!

 

The morning after her arrival, Veronica was determined to start the day right. Dressed in the perfect first day outfit and armed with two cups of coffee, she entered the halls of Riverdale High for the first time.  
  
She couldn't decide if the school was just painfully dated, or if it was supposed to be part of the Riverdale aesthetic. She had always imagined the high school of her parents to be like a movie set, or at least a smaller version of her own high school, made of old brick and with high ceilings. Riverdale High was a bit of a disappointment.  
  
However, as she stepped further into the hall, her eyes caught a glimmer of gold. Built into the wall was a large, brilliant trophy case. She stepped up to it, looking for her family name. It didn’t take long for her to find her father listed on a series of trophies from his high school years.  
  
It was real. This high school, this town. It had been his. Here she would be, in a way, starting afresh, reliving his legacy.  
  
She thought again of her father. Of the horror and embarrassment she had felt as everything she knew had been cut to pieces in front of her. The golden veneer of her life had been stained ink black. The only thing she could do was cut away from it, to reinvent herself and become a Veronica Lodge she could be proud of.  
  
As she looked over her father’s name one more time, she was hit with an overwhelming feeling that she could not name. A mix of sadness, homesickness… and nervousness. She was struck by a feeling of anxiety that she had not expected. Determined not to let it affect her, she continued her way to the main office.  
  
Betty was already waiting for her there, her arm swinging nervously against her leg. Veronica knew that their first meeting hadn’t been a complete success. Betty had been guarded, but at least she seemed to find her interesting. That was much easier to work with than indifference.  
  
Veronica handed one of the coffee cups to Betty as she approached; an offer of friendship. “Good morning to you, Betty,” she said in greeting.  
  
Betty’s expression was surprised, but not displeased. “Oh, um. Good morning, Veronica.”  
  
“Ah, there you are Miss Lodge,” said a cheerful lady behind the office desk. She reached over to hand Veronica a list of papers. Veronica looked down to see her class schedule at the top. “We are so excited to have you here,” she said, warmly. “Your father was the pride of the Riverdale wrestling team back in his day, you know. It’s exciting to have his daughter with us.”  
  
“Yes…” _Until he was put in jail for questionable businesses practices,_ Veronica thought.  
  
She expected a look of judgment, or at least pity when her father was mentioned, but instead she received a genuine smile. Veronica turned to Betty, who was waiting patiently by the door. Her expression was open and held no visible concern.  
  
Maybe it would be easier to reinvent herself than Veronica had thought.  
  
Betty led Veronica out in the hall and cradled the cup in her hands. She looked around them as if deciding how to start. “Let me show you around the school.”  
  
Veronica found Betty to be in a much more comfortable mood in the halls of the school than she had been the previous night at the diner. There was a bounce in her step as she led Veronica down the hall. In the morning light, she was all pastels and clean lines. With Betty Cooper front and center, the halls that had just seemed dreary and outdated now felt a little more timeless. It had an air of nostalgia.  
  
Like the night before, Veronica felt just a little more charmed by the town of Riverdale.  
  
“So, you must be the exciting new addition to Riverdale. And how do you find our quaint little town?”  
  
Veronica turned to see a clean cut, attractive young man leaning over Betty’s shoulder. Betty smiled up at him, with a slight look of admonishment. “Veronica, this is Kevin. He’s been really excited to meet you.”  
  
“Likewise,” Veronica said, reaching out a hand. “I'm intrigued by Riverdale. Even if it is significantly lacking in shopping and nightlife.”  
  
“There, you would be right,” Kevin answered with a sigh as he shook her hand.  
  
Kevin had an innate charm that reminded Veronica more of the manner of people in the city than anyone else she had met in Riverdale. Openly gay, smartly dressed, and with a wit that was sharp and clever, he quickly made her feel more at home. There was also an open honesty between Betty and Kevin’s interactions that Veronica felt slightly envious of.  
  
Betty was the expert when it came to school subjects and activities, but Kevin had extensive knowledge of Riverdale’s social intrigue and was eager to gossip in the middle of Betty’s tour. Kevin rated the various sports teams by the attractiveness of their players, before moving on to discuss the small selection of clubs of Riverdale High, including the exclusive cheerleading squad that had snubbed Betty’s audition the year before.  
  
Just as Betty was finished pointing out her third period classroom, Veronica eyed Archie from across the hall talking to a group of boys in letterman jackets. She knew their next topic of conversation.  
  
"So, about that gorgeous red-headed specimen you were at the diner with last night. What's the story?" For a brief moment, light reflecting across the hall lit up his face. In response to a comment from one of his friends, he broke out into a contagious laugh. Even from where she was standing, Veronica could feel her own lips tugging into a smile. She couldn't help but add, "Is he taken?"  
  
Betty suddenly found the tiles on the floor deeply interesting.  
  
Kevin, as expected, was eager to step up. Conspiratorially, he explained, “Archie and Betty have been circling each other forever. It's really just a matter of time.” With resolve, Veronica looked away from Archie, ignoring her growing fascination with the ways his whole face glowed when he laughed.  
  
Instead she turned to Betty. At Kevin's comment, Veronica would have expected Betty to blush, or possibly laugh nervously. Instead, Veronica noticed a brief pained expression cross Betty's face. Clearly, Betty didn’t believe her relationship with Archie was as sure a thing as Kevin did.  
  
Veronica put her arm through Betty's and continued to walk forward. “Of course, Betty is a smoke show and a total catch. She can get anyone she wants.”  
  
“Oh, please,” a voice interrupted from behind them. A click of heels echoed through the hall as another girl with long, deep red hair walked by, “I have seen Betty Cooper follow at Archie Andrews’ heels for years while he sought better fish. It's pathetic, really.”  
  
“Cheryl,” Kevin replied, coldly. His tone sounded like a warning.  
  
Kevin was completely ignored. "I'm Cheryl Blossom,” she said to Veronica instead, “head of the River Vixens, the cheerleading squad here at Riverdale." Cheryl had the kind of attitude Veronica was immediately familiar with. “It's so rare we get fresh blood. You must try out this week," she added with a lethal smile.  
  
Veronica glanced between Betty and Cheryl. They might as well have been in separate rooms for how little they acknowledged each other.  
  
Veronica may not have been at Riverdale High for more than thirty minutes, but she knew about high school social hierarchy. She also knew that Betty had it in her to be a star in Riverdale. If Betty hadn’t made it into the cheerleading squad, the top pyramid of high school society, it was likely for a specific reason. "I'll join if Betty does," Veronica responded sweetly.  
  
"Oh, Betty is far too busy. Why, between all those extracurriculars and college planning, she barely has enough time left for drooling over a man who doesn't give her the time of day. That's not the Vixen way. After that horrible performance last year, she doesn’t need that kind of attention again." Cheryl's eyes moved up and down Betty, clearly in judgment.  
  
Betty responded with an impatient look, but otherwise said nothing.  
  
Clearly ready to end the conversation, Cheryl turned to leave them. With one quick glance over her shoulder she said with finality, "Tryouts are on Thursday."  
  
Veronica, Kevin and Betty, left in the middle of the hall, looked to each other. "So now you've met Cheryl Blossom. She's devil incarnate, but her fashion sense is impeccable," Kevin said with a shrug, as though he would have preferred not to add the complement but couldn't help it.  
  
  
  
The autumn weather was still comfortably warm, so most of the high school population had taken to eating lunch outside. Betty had already pointed out to Veronica where to find her at lunch out at the picnic tables. As Veronica headed that way, she found Betty and Archie, like the previous night, in deep discussion. Approaching, Veronica caught the tail end of the conversation.  
  
“...looks like I messed it up...” Archie’s shoulders were sagging, almost dramatically. "I have tickets to the movie still, and I don't really want to waste them. Do you want to go? They're for this Friday."  
  
Curious, Veronica took an extra turn around one of the other tables to give them time to talk. From her angle, she could clearly see Betty's face, but her expression was difficult to read. “Oh, okay, yeah,” was her weak response.  
  
“And... if you don't have a date to the dance, it looks like I'm free. So we can still go, you know, as friends.”  
  
Betty’s eyes jumped to look up at Archie, her expression frozen. _Go for it_ , Veronica wanted to say. _It’s a starting point. Take your shot. I’ll make sure you have the right dress to sweep him off his feet_. She tried putting all of that into a look instead, eyeing Betty over Archie’s shoulder.  
  
It caught Betty’s eye, who responded only with a blink.  
  
“Oh, hi Veronica,” she said instead. “There’s room for you at the table.”  
  
_A complete failure_ , Veronica thought, disheartened.  
  
  
  
Over the course of their lunch break, Veronica tried to steer the conversation back to the upcoming dance a number of times, but Betty seemed determined to direct the subject to anything else. Archie’s football tryouts, Veronica’s class schedule, the blossoming trees hanging over the lunch tables.  
  
When Kevin joined them, Veronica was sure she had an in, but Betty immediately pulled her into a discussion about her physics class scheduled for the next day. By the end of lunch, they had a full plan to visit the physics teacher to get a copy of the class workbook to bring Veronica up to speed with the curriculum after school.  
  
It wasn’t until after lunch, as Betty led her to her next class, that Veronica was finally able to get somewhere.  
  
“Betty.” She said, sternly. “The boy of your dreams just asked you to the school dance. Please tell me you are not going to let this slip through your fingers.”  
  
Betty’s response was a deep sigh. “It’s more complicated than that, Veronica.”  
  
“Alright, enlighten me.” She stood her ground in front of Betty so that their movement halted.  
  
Betty’s eyebrow quirked into a look of self-deprecation. “I asked him. To go with me to the dance. He turned me down. He told me there was someone else he wanted to go with...” Veronica waited patiently as Betty paused. There was a look of exhaustion that took over her whole body as she continued, “The only reason he is asking now is because it didn’t work out with the other girl.”  
  
“Betty…” was all Veronica could say. Now, all of Betty’s apprehension made sense.  
  
Betty put her hand on Veronica’s back and led her toward the classroom. “He’ll still find someone else to go with to the dance. I’m not worried about him.”  
  
As Veronica sat down in an empty desk, she felt with exasperation that the one thing she hadn’t expected from Archie’s warm, welcoming face was that he would be a man of poor taste.  
  
  
  
At the final bell, Veronica exited her classroom to find Betty already waiting for her across the hall. As Betty waved in her direction, she failed to notice Cheryl Blossom storming through, conveniently placing her elbow so that the books Betty was holding were knocked to the floor.  
  
Betty threw her head up to the ceiling and sighed, “Wow, really Cheryl?” As she leaned to the ground to pick them up, Veronica could hear her mutter, “We've moved on to middle school bullying now?”  
  
Cheryl’s only reaction was to dramatically flipped her hair over her shoulder, and head down the hall as though nothing had happened.  
  
Veronica moved to Betty’s side, but a plan was already forming in her mind.  
  
Betty gave her a half-hearted smile in greeting, “Mrs. Avery should still be in her office, we can grab a workbook for you and get some work done in the library-“  
  
Veronica put up a hand to stop her, “Hold that thought.” Without taking the time to give another look back, Veronica sped down the hallway, following in Cheryl’s footsteps.  
  
She found her standing outside the school under a canopy. Veronica spoke up as soon as she was within earshot.  
  
“I know people like you, Cheryl Blossom. In fact, I used to be you.”  
  
Cheryl turned to her with a cold, arrogant look. “Please. This new girl, help-the-poor-and-neglected shtick you are on is a thinly veiled attempt at establishing superiority.” She leaned forward and crossed her arms over her chest. “If you really want to do well in this school, you will need my approval. So, whatever it is you stormed up to say, drop it.”  
  
Veronica felt her blood boil. Worse was that these were words that she could easily have found herself saying just months ago.  
  
She walked up so that they were only a few steps away from each other and looked directly into Cheryl’s face.  
  
“Betty is a good person. It didn’t take me long to see that, and I’ve only been around her for a day.”  
  
Cheryl’s response was an almost graceful snort, “Betty and the whole Cooper clan are insane. Certifiably. This town may adore them, but under that disguise of perfection, they are just desperate for attention. So, don’t come here pleading the case of your new little gopher.”  
  
Veronica smirked. “You know, I think you’re jealous. Of her. Of me. I think Betty is one of the best here, and it hurts you that she doesn’t like you. Maybe you should reconsider your actions before I start to dislike you myself.” She leaned closer, an icy demeanor taking over. “You don’t want me as your enemy. I have dealt with worse than all your little tricks, and I have experience with ruining people.”  
  
Cheryl’s burning stare finally broke into a look of insecurity. She backed up, her shoulders set in defensively. “What do you want?”  
  
“I want you to let Betty audition for the Vixens. I want you to walk up to her and apologize for your horrible behavior and say you’ll welcome her with open arms.”  
  
Cheryl’s face pulled into a grimace, “I’m not afraid of you, and I’m not going to just do what you want.”  
  
“No,” Veronica sighed. “You’re going to do this because deep down, you know you will be happier if you do. Stop trying to hurt people just because it’s easy.” She looked to Cheryl honestly this time, “I’m serious, take it from me. It’s worth it.”  
  
Cheryl must not have expected the sincerity, because her defenses dropped. She walked around in a circle contemplatively before she stopped in front of Veronica again. “I’ll tell her she can try out. That’s all.”  
  
Veronica sighed, but shrugged. It was a start.  
  
Cheryl turned and walked back into the school hall without another comment. This time she stopped just in front of Betty, crossing her arms.  
  
Betty was clearly baffled when Cheryl spoke without preamble, “Tryouts are on Thursday. I expect you to get some practice in before then, because we all know your audition from last year was awful.”  
  
Without waiting for a response, Cheryl turned away, gave Veronica one hard look, and then made her way out of the school again.  
  
“Wow,” was Betty’s stunned reaction. “How did you do that?”  
  
Veronica gave a brief smile, “We’re not so different, Cheryl and I.”  
  
“I wouldn’t say that,” Betty said, seriously.  
  
Veronica sighed, “I want to do better here, but I used to be just like Cheryl. Worse even.” She wrapped her arm through Betty’s, “So thanks for sticking with me today, B. I’ll try to be a friend worthy of you, if you’ll have me.”  
  
Betty laughed, “Sure, ...V.” She glanced back at the hall behind them, “Unfortunately, I think we’ve missed our window to get your homework assignment.”  
  
“It’s okay,” Veronica said smoothly, “So I’ll be a little lost tomorrow. I can still make it work for me. Instead, I say we take a trip to Pop’s, and then follow it up with some cheerleading practice.”  
  
  
  
  
  
When they arrived at Pop’s, Archie Andrews was already seated at a booth as though he had been waiting for them there.  
  
“Hey,” he said with that glowing smile. “I was kind of hoping you would come by here.” He was looking right at Veronica, and it made her stomach flip.  
  
“Hi, Arch,” Betty said unceremoniously. She sat across from him, and slid down to give Veronica room.  
  
“Well, hello again, Archibald,” she said, using the name their literature teacher had given in class. After a second thought, she wasn’t sure if she sounded sophisticated or flirty. Quickly, she glanced at Betty, but she seemed undisturbed.  
  
It wasn’t until she turned back toward Archie that she saw a figure over his shoulder. The same one from the evening before, and it sent a chill down her spine.  
  
He was still typing. She could hear it echoing through the diner again now. Unlike the night before, his head was up. He looked alert.  
  
For a moment, it felt like he was a spectre that only she could see. Aiming to be discreet, she asked the others about him.  
  
“Oh, that's Jug,” Betty responded, as though that answered everything. Across from them, Archie's face grew gray.  
  
Veronica considered it, and looked between them. There had to be bad blood there.  
  
Pop interrupted the uncomfortable air by setting a series of hamburgers down on the table, followed by a milkshake for each of them. Even though she hadn’t made an order request, it was made exactly as she preferred.  
  
Pop smiled amicably, "Ah, Jughead Jones the Third. He's a regular here. You used to always see him here with these two." He nodded over to Betty and Archie who glanced away uncomfortably. "They were thick as thieves."  
  
As Betty slid her milkshake close and brought the straw to her lips, she said with finality, "Yes, well. When we were kids."  
  
Clearly that wasn’t all there was to it, because the eyes of Jughead Jones the Third hadn’t moved from Betty for a moment since Veronica had first noticed him.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Veronica woke up with an extra spring in her step. At school when Betty came to find her at her locker, she noticed Veronica’s happy demeanor. Laughing, she said, “You’re in a good mood this morning, Veronica.”  
  
Pulling her new books out of the locker, she grinned, “You know… I am, B. I’m feeling good about today.”  
  
Betty’s eyebrow turned up, “...B?”  
  
Before she could respond, Veronica was distracted by a streak of red out of the corner of her eye. As she turned, she came face to face with Cheryl Blossom. She had a self-important smile and a gleam in her eye.  
  
“I see you have really thrown your lot in with the rabble, little Miss High Society. It really is too bad, you could be something here with the right connections.”  
  
Veronica stared at her.  
  
“Enough, Cheryl.” Betty said with an exhausted sigh.  
  
Veronica glanced at Betty. She didn’t look the least surprised by this outcome. As she turned back to Cheryl, she couldn’t keep the bite off her tongue, “Do you have the memory of a goldfish?”  
  
“Pardon?” Cheryl said with a tilt of her head. She still had a bitter smirk.  
  
“What happened to putting your best foot forward. You invited Betty to the cheerleading tryouts yesterday.”  
  
Cheryl paused for a moment, she had a look of incomprehension. It was as though Veronica had just spoken in another language. Instead of responding, she turned to Betty. “I’m sure you don’t need a reminder, but come anywhere near tryouts tomorrow, and you will get booted out the door. I don’t need to watch a pathetic display this week, and you don’t want that kind of attention.”  
  
It fell off her tongue so easily, it almost felt like a rehearsed response. Before Veronica could bite back at her about her lack of originality, Cheryl had turned on her heels and was gone.  
  
It wasn’t until then that Veronica realized that Betty was staring at her. “What were you talking about just now?” she asked.  
  
“Not you too, B. You were there. Cheryl came and said you could try out. At the end of school yesterday.”  
  
Betty was quiet for a long moment, she looked down in thought. “We went and studied physics in the library, Veronica. We went straight to Mrs. Avery after class. I haven’t talked to Cheryl…” trailing off, Betty’s eyebrows drew together. Veronica felt her blood chill. Goosebumps ran up her arms.  
  
Betty glanced at her hesitantly, but instead of saying anything more she leaned over Veronica’s shoulder and knocked her finger against the book at the top of the stack in Veronica’s arms. It was a physics workbook.  
  
Her blood pounding in her ears, Veronica opened it. Inside, she immediately recognized her handwriting in a completed lesson toward the middle of the book. Now that she was looking at it, she could remember the homework. She and Betty had found a corner in the school library and spent an hour getting her up to speed on the current curriculum. As time had passed, they had gotten off topic and started doodling and writing notes to each other in the margins.  
  
She could remember everything, so why was she so certain that yesterday had gone differently?  
  
Betty moved her hand to Veronica’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked sympathetically.  
  
“Yeah.” Veronica answered, even though it wasn’t true. “I guess I must have just had a weird dream last night.”  
  
  
  
Haunted throughout the rest of the day, Veronica eventually came to a conclusion. Only one other part of Riverdale had made Veronica feel this unnerved. If there was any possibility of answers, she wasn’t going to let herself avoid it.  
  
For the third day in a row, Veronica entered Pop's diner. As she expected, the strange young man, Jughead, was typing away at his computer.  
  
Without any greeting, she sat across from him. He looked up at her, startled, and for the first time she noticed the bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.  
  
Veronica laid her arms out onto the table and intertwined her hands together in front of her. “So, Jughead Jones the Third. Tell me. What's your whole deal.”  
  
Jughead looked skeptical, “...deal?”  
  
“I've been in Riverdale for a few days, and honestly, I thought I would have a good grasp of it by now. The gossip around town, the social hierarchy, all of that. Instead, nothing has gone how I expected. I’ve had a very weird day. And when it comes to Riverdale, you might even be the weirdest part. So yes. I'm asking, 'what is your whole deal?’”  
  
Jughead's response was an unimpressed stare, so she continued, "Do you just stay here 24/7? Aren't you supposed to be in school?”  
  
With a sigh, Jughead looked back to his typing and changed the subject, “You know, we don't get new people in this town, really.”  
  
“So I've been told. Everyone seems to point it out.”  
  
“Yeah, it's weird.”  
  
“Why? So, it’s not common. I’m used to being the center of attention. You’re acting like my coming here is some act against logic, or something.”  
  
“Like I said, people don't come here.”  
  
“And yet, I did. Did you think no one had heard of Riverdale before?”  
  
Jughead looked up at her briefly, before returning to his computer. “So you’re saying it's Riverdale that's weird then. What about it?”  
  
She paused for a moment, clicking her nails against the table. She tried to conceptualize the uneasy feeling she had had throughout the week. “Being here, it feels... It feels like being in a movie. At first I thought it was charming, but it’s not just that this place practically feels like it’s from another era…”  
  
Veronica looked back up from her hands when she noticed the typing had stopped. Jughead's attention was finally fully on her, his expression intense. She continued, "It's like this town is following a script, and everyone has read it but me. Except, no one gave me a copy so I feel like I’m breaking the scene.”  
  
“And,” she added quietly, almost in a whisper, “I keep being told my memories are wrong.”  
  
Jughead leaned back into the booth, and looked out the window. Veronica hadn’t been sure if anyone would take her seriously if she said it out loud, but it seemed that the strangest member of the Riverdale population didn’t find it so laughable.  
  
He stayed silently for a long moment before running a hand over his face. It was all a bit unnecessarily dramatic, but Veronica still felt on edge. Finally, he turned back to her.  
  
“Okay,” he paused, “okay.” His shoulders squared up. “Let’s say that was true. If this was a movie. What would you say Betty's character is?”  
  
Veronica laughed, that was easy. “Oh, she's a classic leading lady. A bit of an ingénue type, but she is destined for greatness.” She raised an eyebrow suggestively, “She just needs the new girl to shake her up a bit, and we’ll have her catching the hearts of all the unwed bachelors in Riverdale in no time.”  
  
The slight wince that Jughead gave in response confirmed what she suspected about Jughead’s feelings on the matter.  
  
“I love her, by the way,” she added. “And I am bound and determined to be best friends with her.”  
  
Veronica could almost see a ghost of a smile on his face, but it dissolved into a darker look.  
  
“And Archie?” he said slowly, his expression now humorless. He looked at her directly, with an arched brow. It was clearly a challenge. Suddenly, Veronica felt completely transparent. Even though she had been determined to keep those thoughts to herself ever since her discussion with Betty and Kevin the previous morning.  
  
Embarrassingly enough, her voice choked when she tried to speak, which she covered by clearing her throat, “A fine sample of the young men here in Riverdale. He would be a good leading man next to Betty if he could get his head straight.”  
  
Jughead adjusted the screen in front of him, but didn’t move to start typing again, “Yeah. I don’t really think that’s in the cards.”  
  
Veronica leaned forward onto the table, with a wide smirk, “So you don’t approve?”  
  
Jughead’s responding glare was ice cold.  
  
“And what about you, Veronica. Big city girl finding herself in this humble small town. You fit right into the narrative.” There was something about the way Jughead spoke that ran uncomfortable chills up Veronica’s spine. “A place where no one knows you, and you can start all over, right?”  
  
It felt eerie to hear her own thoughts spoken back to her. Worse yet, her embarrassment was now warming her cheeks.  
  
“What is wrong with having a new start?”  
  
“Nothing. After having your life ripped apart by your Dad’s embezzlement schemes, and all your bad girl habits coming back to haunt you, I’d say it’s a matter of course.”  
  
Veronica stood up in the booth, using what she could of her height to loom over him, “Who told you about my father?”  
  
She had expected to deal with the gossip surrounding her family, but somehow it had gone without any comment. The last place she expected to be faced with it was here. Hit with sudden angered panic, her voice grew louder, “Have you been spying on me?”  
  
“No.” he said simply. He glared at the other patrons of the diner who were starting to turn and stare. “Would you sit down?” he added under his breath.  
  
When Veronica remained standing, he motioned to her seat with a look. Begrudgingly, she slowly sat down again, glaring at him all the while.  
  
“Look.” He sighed and glanced around the diner uncomfortably before continuing. “No one had to tell me, and I didn’t have to spy on you. I just know these things,” he said.  
  
Veronica stared at him. Apparently because of her confession, he thought she was completely gullible.  
  
As though he really could read her thoughts, he grew noticeably uncomfortable. He fiddled with his computer screen again, and started to scroll up on the mouse pad. Without prompting, he started to read.  
  
“When Veronica Lodge entered the door to Pop's diner, she came face to face with destiny. Riverdale had always called for her, and here she was. A family legacy; Riverdale had lost two of its brightest stars to the draw of New York City, but that had been a mistake. Hiram Lodge's success had been built with schemes, and that house of cards had collapsed. Veronica, who had grown up like a princess, now had nothing but her name, her mother, and one property waiting for her in Riverdale. The loss had not only ruined her pride, but also any relationships that she had established in New York. Those connections had always been tenuous at best, but now that no one had any reason to please her, they revealed how deeply they had always despised her. Veronica had to face not only her father's mistakes, but her own as well.”  
  
“What is that?” she asked, her voice now quiet. She locked her hands together under the table. She was shaking. How could a stranger know these things about her. _Everything_ about her.  
  
“It’s my novel. About Riverdale.”  
  
She couldn't argue against anything he had said, and it terrified her that he could see completely through her. “So, you’re saying you know everything about everyone in Riverdale?” Veronica looked around the diner to an old couple two booths down, "So you know all about them too, then?"  
  
Jughead glanced back and then looked again to Veronica, unamused, "We don't need to reenact that scene from Groundhog Day. It's a small town, it doesn't take anything special to know about people that frequent Pop's."  
  
All of it was ridiculous, but Veronica didn’t know how to argue. The whole day had been wrong. "Well, whatever this is, you're being a creep."  
  
Veronica stood. She had aimed to give him a harsh icy stare, but now that her legs were fully upright they felt like jelly. She did her best anyway. "I'm not going to sit here and let you or this town try to get in my head."  
  
With that Veronica left, clicking her shoes in heavy steps. She hoped it looked like a confident exit, because she could only do her best to disguise the fact that she was desperate to flee.


	3. II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead Jones is in love with a girl who has loved him many times before, but it always ends when she forgets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, all the love to Yavannie for her work as a beta on this fic!
> 
> Art for this fic can also be viewed [on tumblr.](http://satelliteinasupernova.tumblr.com/) If you enjoy this fic, please comment and share, it would mean the world to me <3

 

 

 

Jughead only ever noticed the warmth of the sun when he was in Betty's bedroom. From his position, lying lazily on her bed, he could see the light beaming through the windows. The Cooper household was always impeccably clean, but in those moments, he could see a small flickering of dust in the air. It made everything feel slightly surreal. Those specks of dust, floating high above the ground matched the weightless feeling Jughead had whenever he was in Betty's company.

That particular day, Betty was seated next to him, her back against the headboard and a textbook in her lap. She had a test coming up and had already given a detailed list of all the ways she felt unprepared for it. Briefly, Jughead wondered if it was a class he would have had with her if he actually went to school. He couldn't remember his class schedule anymore, it had been a long time since there was any expectation of him to keep up with it. If he stepped back into the school halls he would remember. Probably. In Riverdale, you could often only remember what you needed to remember. The teachers wouldn't even be shocked he came, they would act like he had been a regular attendee all along. Reality worked like that.

He thought about it sometimes, going back, but school wasn't the easiest place to get writing done and there was always writing to do.

He didn't know how long he had been doing this. He did know that it was his responsibility. His role. Capturing the sleepy, perfect town of Riverdale in text. Sometimes he tried not to write, but like suffering from withdrawal, eventually his nerves would overwhelm him. His fingers would start to unconsciously move as though trying to type into the empty air. His own thoughts would be silenced by the narrative of Riverdale, constantly reciting in his mind.

So, he wrote. Except for those brief moments during the week when he would hide out in Betty's room for a few hours and rest.

By instinct, and due to his role as Riverdale's resident biographer, Jughead always had a good sense of where people would be at any given moment. Sometimes it was helpful, like when he was determining the best time to post a ladder outside Betty Cooper's bedroom window.

The Coopers were very easy to determine. Mrs. Cooper was always where she was supposed to be. Polly was never where she said she would be, but that was also in the big picture where she was supposed to be. Mr. Cooper could always be counted on to be away from the house until dinner. The brief time between extracurriculars and her mother's return to the house, Betty would dedicate to homework.

He didn't feel particularly guilty about disturbing her. Most days she focused on her work, awkwardly flipping pages with one hand because her other one was secured in his. She would only take a moment to give him a brief kiss when she finished an assignment. He was perfectly content with it.

Jughead didn't sleep much. In general.

Part of it was that he didn't always have a place to sleep. He had long given up on staying with his dad. There was an empty closet on the school grounds that he had sometimes used, but it would mean a full day of the teachers remembering that he was an expected attendee if anyone saw him before he had the chance to leave. Most nights he found his way back to the old drive-in. It still ran classic movies on Friday nights, but otherwise it was typically empty. There was a roof, and an old couch cushion for him to sleep on.

The drive-in was a solution, but rarely did he sleep well there. It was a place full of memories of his childhood, night outs with his family. For a long time, it had been the most important place in Riverdale to him. There was still a deep-seated nostalgia he felt when he was there, but his reverence for old cinema had long grown brittle. It was hard for him to watch classic movies without being hit with an overwhelming desire to rip the characters from the screen.

Late at night, these thoughts would overwhelm him. As he tried desperately to drift off to sleep, he would find himself staring at the shelf of film canisters wondering if The Town of Riverdale was hidden in one of them. Trapped in film strips, playing on a loop.

Even when he finally lulled to sleep, the narration of Riverdale would be playing in his head.

The only time his mind would go quiet was in Betty's room. Her mattress was so cushioned that he sunk in an inch when he laid down on it. There were enough pillows to be completely cocooned in them. Betty had talked a number of times about how she disliked her room. She saw it as a reflection of the person she was supposed to be, and he understood what she meant. It reminded him of a child's bedroom in an antique doll house. Sometimes when Betty was having a particularly bad day, they would both lie back on her bed and make a plan for changing her room. Peeling off the wall paper, painting over the furniture.

They planned, but never took action. Jughead wasn't sure what would happen if they tried. Would he come back the next day to find it all the same as it ever was? He imagined stopping by the house to find Alice Cooper in rubber gloves with cans of paint, having already put up an even worse wallpaper in the room. _Oh, the room needed a change_ , she'd say.

Jughead didn't have it in him to push anymore. He had tried.

God, he had tried.

There were only so many times he could look at his father's face, his eyes uncharacteristically bright. With a triumphant smile he'd say, "It's going to stick this time Jug. You can come home."

It never stuck.

 

Again, where Betty was concerned, there was a slight exception. He didn't know when or how it started. No matter how many times it happened, Betty would always start breaking rules. She’d get tired of being the heartbroken girl-next-door.

He would watch her from across the diner. At first, she would be energetic and hopeful. Her ponytail would bounce in place, like her whole body had too much joy to contain it. No matter what Betty did, though, Archie would still be... Archie. He would hop from the attentions of one girl to the next, while responding with a blank smile whenever Betty broached the subject. Inevitably, he would break her heart. He would either do it swiftly, or she would choose to give up after a series of round-about rejections.

Eventually, Betty would grow contemplative. She would spend a lot of time watching the people around her. Archie would be left in the rear-view mirror to a bigger problem. A problem embedded within the town of Riverdale.

It always started the same.

Betty would sit across from him in the booth without prompting. Even if they hadn't talked to each other in weeks. Hell, it could be months as far as he knew.

He always knew what she would say.

"Something doesn't feel right, Jug."

He lived for that moment. He told himself he could get through writing another round of the Betty and Archie love story if he knew that this moment would come again.

He could get through this hell called Riverdale if it just meant this moment would come again.

At first her eyes would be sharp and determined, but her face would grow into a conspiratorial smile, like she was sharing an inside joke.

"Yeah, I know. I've been writing all about it," he would say.

"I thought so," Betty would respond.

 

The morning after an evening spent with Betty, Jughead woke up in a camping spot not far from Sweetwater River.

Instantly, he knew it was the end again. The smell in the air had a tartness that reminded him of spring.

The seasons were changing.

His heart felt heavy as he sat up. He could hear the echoing sound of running water in the distance. Hauling his packed bag over his shoulder, he started his long walk back to Pop’s diner.

He nodded to Pop as he stepped in, the door chiming as it did every morning. Jughead headed to his regular booth, out of the way where he could see everything.

He pretended that it was just another normal day. He slid his laptop out of his backpack and placed it in front of him on the table. For a brief moment, he was too nervous to pull open the screen. With a deep breath, he ignored the pounding in his chest, and opened his laptop.

Today really was a day like any other in Riverdale. The captain of the football team was driving his twin sister to school in a shiny red car. Students walking to school were already talking excitedly about the upcoming dance. Archie Andrews had finished a morning run to help prepare for the Varsity football tryouts. Betty Cooper was already at school, speaking to her peers about running a poll for the theme for the dance.

He waited for his own fingers to relay something, anything, about where they stood. At this point he knew what to look for. Betty Cooper, excited about the dance and nervous about who she might go with. It wasn’t there, which meant they had a little more time.

He leaned back and took a deep breath. He knew better than this. He knew better than to cling to something that would be gone in a moment. It would be better for him to just let it go, to stay away from Betty for a few days. By then, Riverdale would be back on track, Betty would be none the wiser.

He knew better, but he still found himself at Betty’s window that afternoon, desperate for a fraction of time with her before it was over.

 

Maybe Betty could feel the change in the wind too. After they had been sitting next to each other on her bed quietly for twenty minutes, their hands entwined, she broke the silence with a morose tone, “I'm going to ask Archie to the dance soon.”

She said it as though it was no choice of hers, and it was because it wasn't.

Jughead sighed heavily and turned over to bury his face in a pillow. He answered, but his voice was muffled, “Yeah.”

Betty moved to lean back on her bed a few inches away from him. Her head was cushioned by another pillow as she looked up at the ceiling, “He's going to reject me again. It will be the same as always.”

He moved his head slightly so that he could answer. “...maybe not. He might get hit with some sense this time.”

Betty turned her head to the side to stare at him incredulously, “You know he won’t. I don't even want him to.”

Jughead didn't want him to either, but he often wondered how much happier Betty would be if he did. “This is what happens, we can't change it.”

Betty huffed through her nose and turned back to the ceiling. For a moment, Jughead thought the conversation was over, but he was turned awkwardly onto his side when Betty abruptly sat up.

“No.” Her expression was determined when she looked to him, “No. I don't want to just do this again because it's what we're supposed to do. I'm tired of just accepting it.”

Betty's eyes remained fixed to his, her face flashed through several emotions as she continued to plot in her head. Slowly, Betty brought her hand up to Jughead's face. He could feel his heart jump up to his throat.

There was rebellion in her eyes. “Let's go to the dance instead, Jug.”

He wanted to smile, he wanted to cry, but he did neither. “It doesn't work like that,” was all he managed to say. A panic had started to rise up in his chest, he could hear his father's voice _It's going to stick this time, Jug_.

“We haven't tried this before, how do we know, really? Let's just give it a shot."

As Betty cupped his chin, Jughead was briefly distracted by how soft and warm her hand was. It was in stark contrast to the chill that had settled all over him.

She continued, "I don't want to accept that I have to do things I don't want to do anymore.”

Jughead didn't want her to do things she didn't want to either, but Riverdale loved to break hearts. He had felt disappointment with such regularity that he rarely trusted in anything, but as he looked into her eyes, he was struck with certainty that if anyone could revolt against fate in Riverdale, it was Betty Cooper.

 

In the end, it came to nothing. The next day it was back to square one. Betty Cooper was the girl next door, in love with the golden boy. Jughead was just an outsider that had known them as kids.

He didn't have to see them to know it, he saw it written across his computer screen. Betty Cooper was waving to the window across the lawn, smiling happily when Archie Andrews waved back. She was determined to ask him to the dance, and she was sure this time would be different.

A pained smile grew on Jughead's face. This was how it always ended, but it was a bitter pill to swallow every time.

 

 

Now, Jughead again sat in his usual booth at Pop’s, but the town of Riverdale had been hit with a new, unexpected turn of events.

The hurricane known as Veronica Lodge was seated across from Archie Andrews in a nearby booth. Unlike the previous encounters Jughead had witnessed over the past few days at Pop’s, Betty was nowhere to be found.

Soon, his own typing changed course to Archie, and Jughead wasn’t at all surprised by what was written in front of him.

After spending the last few days recovering from a painful rejection from Valerie Brown, Archie had found his attentions move to the glamorous Veronica Lodge. He had been struck by her when she had first arrived, and that fascination had only increased as he had been around her smart and teasing banter.

He wanted her to be comfortable in Riverdale, and he was hoping she would do that beside him.

Jughead leaned back as he continued to type the commentary out. Despite the new circumstances, this was all painfully familiar. Archie had been through this exact scenario many times before, but each time he treated it with the same amount of excitement. Just like Archie’s dog Vegas, with a shiny new toy.

Jughead didn’t know what to make of Veronica Lodge, himself. She acted like an outsider to Riverdale, but he wrote about her all the same. She thought she was above the town’s rules, but he knew that wasn’t true. As he glanced back over to them, he knew this was all following the plan. Whatever plan that was.

That didn’t change the fact that Veronica had cut into the narrative he was used to writing and shoved her way in. Betty’s new best friend, Archie’s new crush. The only way Jughead could imagine it developing just included more heartbreak.

He had been there, watching as Betty gathered her courage to ask Archie to the dance. Just as they had known would happen. He had been sitting behind her, so he couldn’t see her face, but he watched as her shoulders hunched up and she nervously wound her fingers.

For one brief, horrible moment, he had imagined himself sitting where Archie was. Betty directing a hopeful, nervous expression at him. Asking him what he felt about her. The image cut into him. It felt as though his heart was being ripped open with shards of ice. For that moment, he hated Archie, he hated Riverdale, and he hated himself.

It didn’t matter who was sitting across from Betty. None of it was her choice.

He had looked away during Archie’s response, but had typed it dutifully anyway.

Archie had never thought of her that way. They were best friends.

Archie was a fool.

With the chime of the bell, the scene was interrupted. Even before he looked up, the direction of his writing had changed.

Typed out in front of him had been a new name, Veronica Lodge. Just arrived from out of town, returning to her parents' childhood home. He glanced up, and a girl he had never seen before was approaching the booth where Betty and Archie were seated. He felt a weight in the pit of his stomach. The three of them looked like they had been caught on a film reel. As he continued to type, he knew with certainty that things would only get worse from here.

He stared at his computer as the words continued to form. Apparently, she had come to Riverdale in disgrace. Her bitter past was laid out in front of him. She had come to Riverdale with the hope of a fresh start, but that was impossible in Riverdale.

He didn't know how or why she had found her way to this town, but nothing good could come of it.

 

Jughead had watched Veronica’s interactions at Pop’s since her arrival to Riverdale. At first her entrance had been unnerving, like the narrative of Riverdale was breaking around her. Now it was adapting, and whether she knew it or not, she would soon be a part of Riverdale just like the rest of them.

Seeing Veronica across from Archie now, Jughead had his suspicions of how the night would go.

“Well, Archiekins.” Veronica said playfully. “I am never one to turn down a visit to Pop’s, but to what do I owe this invitation.”

Jughead glanced over at her, annoyed. There was no point in being coy, she already knew what this was about.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing. How are you adjusting to Riverdale?” His concern was genuine. Everything Archie ever said was genuine, at least in the moment.

“Well, it’s certainly different from the city, but I’ve found it still has its charms. Betty has been a huge help in getting me adjusted at school. Although, Kevin and I may hatch some plans to make this town a little brighter.”

Archie laughed, “I’m looking forward to it.” He seemed almost self-conscious before he continued, “Look, Veronica, we may be missing the excitement you’re used to here in Riverdale, but if you want someone to help you get to know this town, I thought maybe I could. If you’re open to a date. I’ve been kind of thinking there might be something there… between us.” he looked up at her, hopefully.

Jughead miserably considered escaping to the bathroom, wondering if all this would be over by the time he got back.

Unexpectedly, Veronica’s reaction was reserved, “Archie…” Before Archie could start back-pedaling, she continued, “I do like you, Archie, but at least consider how this would make Betty feel.” Archie had the decency to look a bit guilty. “I know you just invited her to the dance. Do you always just hop back and forth between girls like this?”

“No.” Archie said abruptly, “I’m serious about this, Veronica. About you.”

“And not Betty,” Veronica added.

“It’s not like that between us, Ronnie. We’re best friends.”

Veronica huffed, “I know she’s told you how she feels about you, and I watched you run to her the minute another girl was out of the picture. Have you spent any time thinking about how that could make her feel, Archie?”

“That’s really not…”

Veronica put her hand up, “All this is really beside the point. I want to be friends with Betty, I want to be best friends. Dating you right now would make things tough for her. I’m sorry, Archie. It’s not meant to be.”

“I get it,” Archie said, running a hand through his hair, “I get it, Veronica.” He paused to smile, “Not right now. Got it.”

Veronica seemed satisfied, and patted Archie’s hand where it rested across from her on the table, “It was nice seeing you tonight, Archie, but I had best head home. I’ll see you at school.”

“See you tomorrow, Veronica,” Archie answered.

As Veronica exited, she gave one brief look at Jughead, her expression challenging. She left out the door without a comment. Clearly, she thought tonight had been a success. He wished he could agree with her, but he knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. The words that he had just heard weren’t the words he had written.

As he was about to shut down his laptop and make his own way out of the diner, he was interrupted. Archie had moved to sit in the booth across from him.

“Hey, Jug.” He said, as though they were still friends. Jughead didn’t have anything to say, so he just stared at him incredulously.

“I know,” Archie answered as though the glare had been a statement. “Look, Jughead. I know you don’t want to talk to me, but, it doesn’t feel right for us not to say something when we see each other.”

“Don’t worry,” Jughead said sarcastically. “You’re not the only one I don’t say ‘hi’ to every day.”

Archie was undeterred. “You get how much this sucks too, right? I just... don't like where my life is headed, Jug. I've been a terrible friend to you... and to Betty." With that he glanced back at the booth that he had previously been sitting at with Veronica. It was as though he only just recognized now what Veronica had told him.

"I miss us just...hanging out."

This conversation wasn’t new. They’d had some version of it many times before. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. None of this would stick with Archie in the morning.

Archie was the golden boy of Riverdale, a main character. Boys like Archie got whatever they wanted, and from the conversation Jughead had just witnessed, it was clear what Archie wanted. He would get it, no matter the consequences.

Jughead didn't want to hear about how miserable Archie felt right now; it was fleeting and would be over with the dawn.

"We’re not kids anymore, Archie. If you were thinking all it would take would be to invite me back to the playground, then I’m sorry to disappoint. I have other things to focus on.”

For a moment, it seemed like Archie would argue, but Jughead glared at him solidly until he visibly gave up. “Fine, I’ll see you around then, Jughead.” Archie said as he stood up to walk away. As he reached the exit, he glanced back, looking dejected. Jughead turned away, waiting for him to leave.

As the chime of the diner rang once more, Jughead slammed his laptop shut.


	4. III.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the fate of Riverdale hinges on a dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks again to my wonderful beta, Yavannie! Also to everyone who commented or left kudos on the previous chapters, you made me really happy!
> 
> Chapter art can be viewed [ on tumblr.](http://satelliteinasupernova.tumblr.com/)

 

 

Veronica entered the halls of Riverdale High, determined. She was no closer to understanding why nothing made sense in Riverdale. Speaking with Jughead had only made her feel more disoriented, but at least now she knew that she wasn’t just imagining that feeling. Every day felt like a new battle just to keep her wits together.

She chose to focus on what she did enjoy about Riverdale. The new friendships she was building. In the past, she wouldn’t have valued any of this the way she did now. Connections had once been easy for her, but now each one was precious, and she wanted to protect that.

By mid-week, she had established a routine with Betty and Kevin. Every morning, they would meet up at the school lounge to talk before splitting up to separate classes.

She didn’t expect this morning to be any different, but just as Veronica was about to enter the lounge, Archie stepped through the doorway. As soon as he saw her, his face brightened with a cheery, almost childish glint. It was very different from the downcast look he had given her the night before at Pop’s.

All in all, it had hurt to turn him down, but she knew it would be for the best. Veronica was determined to build relationships that would last in Riverdale, and she wouldn’t accomplish that without considering the feelings of the people around her. Maybe something was destined to happen between her and Archie, but it wasn’t destined to start now.

“Don’t worry, Veronica.” Archie said, interrupting her thoughts. “I talked to Betty and it’s all fine. See you at lunch?” He didn’t give her time to question him. Instead, he jogged past her, waving over his shoulder as he joined his friends.

Veronica walked into the lounge with a sudden feeling of dread. It felt as though the floor was shifting under her feet.

The first thing she noticed was the hard look of judgment on Kevin’s face. He was next to Betty on the couch, leaning close to her, defensively. Betty didn’t notice her right away, but when Kevin prodded her with his elbow, she looked up. When her eyes met Veronica’s, her expression was blank.

Veronica charged forward. “A good morning to my favorite residents of Riverdale,” she said, keeping her tone light and warm.

Kevin shot it down, “Don’t start, Veronica. Maybe you’d like to explain something. Archie just told us you’re going to the dance with him.” He started to get up from the couch, “After he asked Betty, I might add. It’s one thing to say yes to it, but without even telling Betty first? You knew exactly how she felt.”

It was just as Veronica feared, but worse.

“Kev.” Betty interrupted. She put a hand on his arm, “It’s fine.”

He gave her a look of disbelief, “Really, Betty?”

Her response was a small smile. “Can you give us a minute? I want to talk to Veronica alone.”

Kevin sighed and looked between her and Veronica, assessing. “Fine,” he said eventually. “I’ll see you in class,” he directed to Betty. He gave Veronica a long look before leaving.

Veronica moved to sit next to Betty on the couch instead. Close up, she could tell that Betty’s expression wasn’t blank like she had previously thought. It was a look of acceptance. Betty didn’t seem at all surprised to find herself here, as though she had expected it from Veronica all along. It sent a shock through her far worse than Kevin’s bitter words had.

She wasn’t sure if Betty would believe her, but she wanted to try. “Look, B. I agreed to eat at Pop’s with Archie yesterday, but that’s all. He asked me to go on a date with him, but I shot him down. He didn’t even mention the dance to me.” She tentatively reached out to put a hand on Betty’s arm. “Maybe he thought that if it was okay with you, I’d answer differently, but I wouldn’t do that, Betty. I haven’t agreed to anything.”

Betty was quiet, but was staring at her intently. Veronica held her gaze, hoping Betty could read the honesty in them.

“That’s what you said?” Betty responded slowly, as though choosing her words carefully.

“Yes!” Veronica said impatiently, “I turned him down, it wouldn’t be-“ she stopped.

She tried to remember Archie’s face when she had rejected his invitation, but found that she couldn’t. She could only remember his joyous, warm laughter.

A moment ago, she had been so sure of herself, so why was she now remembering a bubbling excitement at the prospect of the dance? She had even spent the previous night going through the selection of dresses she had managed to bring with her to Riverdale.

Veronica sighed, and rubbed at her temple, “I don’t know… maybe I got caught up in the moment. I’ll make this right, B.”

Betty continued to watch her. Her voice was quiet when she finally said, “You don’t have to do that, Veronica. I don’t care if you go to the dance with Archie.”

Veronica looked up to study Betty’s expression. It was still resigned, “Now, that I don’t believe.”

Betty just smiled.

“No.” Veronica moved to take Betty’s hand, “I have a better idea. Let’s go, just us. None of this boy drama needed.”

Betty’s expression brightened, “That would be fun.” Veronica had the distinct impression that she wasn’t taking the offer seriously.

“I’ll talk to Archie, B. It’s a done deal.” She stood up and held her hand out, prepared to walk Betty to her first period class.

 

 

After the final bell rang, Veronica was determined to accomplish her mission. Lunch had been inopportune. Archie’s football friends, though nice to look at, had been inconveniently hovering around when she found him.

This was a topic that would require time and Archie’s full attention.

As luck would have it, he was already waiting for her by her locker. “I need to talk to you, Archie,” she said immediately. She caught a glance of his concerned face, but continued forward. Grabbing his arm, she looked for the closest empty space she could find. She stopped at a small alcove between a set of lockers, near what looked to be a supply closet.

Once there, she turned to face him, her shoulders squared. He was looking at her seriously, a confused but charming look on his face. She would not be deterred. “About last night, Archie, what I said…”

Archie took a step forward so that they were inches away from each other. Veronica was suddenly overwhelmed by how tall he was next to her, how well she would fit in his arms if she took just one step forward. There was a genuine look of concern on his face when he asked, “I thought you were excited? What’s wrong?”

Veronica held a hand to her face, taking a deep breath. She broke her gaze away from Archie’s, instead focusing on the large yellow R on his jacket. “No, I was. At least, I remember that I was, but—”

She was interrupted by a sharp laugh next to them. Veronica looked up to see Cheryl Blossom, once again with the worst timing.

“Oh, this is delightful,” She had a gleeful smirk on her face, “Does Betty know you are having a secret rendezvous with her long time crush by the janitor’s closet?”

“Cheryl!” Veronica stepped toward her, a hot rage taking over her.

“You really are much better at this than I am. All this talk about building a friendship, gaining her trust, just to burn her down. Props to you. Even I wouldn’t go that far.” Veronica’s own mind went blank. All she could feel was anger. She was almost ready to lunge forward, but before she could act, Cheryl had moved out of the way and headed toward the gym with a sharp laugh. As the door to the gym opened, the calls from a cheerleading routine echoed down the hall. Veronica heard the distinct sound of someone landing heavily on their feet.

Veronica glanced back at Archie, “Are cheerleading tryouts today?”

“I think so?” Archie answered, with no real confidence.

For one brief moment she paused. She had promised herself to speak with Archie now, to not prolong the issue, but burning within her was a feeling of anger and pride that she could not ignore. More importantly, she knew what to do with it. “We’ll talk about this later, Archie.”

Without looking back, she stormed down the hall and into the gym.

By the time Veronica had changed into gym clothes, Cheryl was already sitting at the center of a judging table, looking the part of a queen presiding over her court.

“I’m here to audition,” Veronica said, ignoring the other girls and heading straight for the middle of the gym.

Cheryl faced her with an expression of disinterest, but there was still a devilish gleam in her eye. “Well, I hope you can do better than the other poor attempts we’ve seen so far today. I do have high hopes for you.”

_I am better than you_ , Veronica thought bitterly. If this was her best chance to prove that, then she would take it. As the music started to play, she fell easily into an old routine. She knew every turn like the back of her hand.

In that moment, she felt powerful again. Moving across the gym, it didn’t matter anymore how Riverdale had made her feel. She wouldn’t let it overwhelm her. She would crush all of it under her heel.

As the last beat hit, she threw her hair back, facing Cheryl head on, staring her down in challenge.

“I am impressed,” Cheryl said with a cold grin, “Welcome to the Vixens.”

Veronica was prepared to make her regret it.

 

 

“Congratulations,” Kevin said to her as she left the gym. He was leaning against the lockers across the hall.

“Thank you—" she started to say with a satisfied grin, until she looked up at his face and remembered that he was angry with her. His expression was sullen.

She paused a moment as the other girls shuffled out of the gym, and took a few steps over to him. “Look, about Betty…” she began.

Kevin shook his head. His voice was soft. “Betty told me what you said. About who you used to be, and that you wanted to leave the old you behind.” He sighed and looked at her, his expression contemplative. “Sometimes it’s hard to do that in Riverdale.”

A chill ran through her, “What do you mean?”

He leaned his head back against the locker. “Oh, I don’t even know. I’ve always felt trapped here. An oddity. The one out gay kid in this retro town,” he stopped for a moment, “but sometimes I’m not sure if that’s all of it. I don’t think it’s just me that feels trapped here. It’s like everyone is just…stuck. Making the same mistakes over and over again. It’s hard to grow out of your shell in a small town like this.”

He glanced down at her, looking embarrassed. “Sorry, that was a lot. I guess I’m just letting my disappointment get to me. I expected you to be different.”

“I am sorry, Kevin. I want to be a good friend to you and Betty. I plan to make it right,” she said honestly.

“I hope so,” he said with a hollow smile. “I’ll see you around, Veronica.”

He left her in the now empty hall. As she stood there in the quiet, it felt like every sound, every movement echoed. It was so still that she could have heard even a pin drop from down the hall. She felt distinctly like she was being watched, but when she turned to look around her, no one was there.

Quickly she left, Kevin’s words still haunting her.

 

 

Veronica couldn't remember making the decision to go to Pop’s, but she found herself there anyway. She slid into the seat across from Jughead without a word, leaning back and staring at him. She was already dealing with Cheryl, she told herself. She could handle him too.

“Rough day?” he asked without looking up.

“What do you know that you haven’t told me?”

He sighed, “About what, Veronica?”

“About Riverdale. About me.”

“I take it things haven’t gone as planned.”

Veronica sat up straight. “You were here last night with Archie. Like you always are,” she added. “What did I say last night?”

“It doesn’t matter.” There was a hollow tone to his voice. It was so aggravating to hear, to have her fears dismissed, that she could feel the pinprick of tears in her eyes.

“I don’t know if what I am remembering is right anymore, and that’s terrifying! So, don’t just sit here on your little computer and act like all of this is normal. This is not normal!”

He pushed his hands away from his computer, and instead he gripped at the side of the table. He looked at her directly, his expression both defensive and sullen. “I could tell you everything I know. Every little detail I’ve had to watch play out in this damn town, but it won’t matter. You’ll just forget anything I tell you. You’re in Riverdale now, and this town has been served up on a silver platter for you. Does it really matter how you get what you want?”

“What?” Veronica responded with indignation.

“Look. Come back here. After this week. After the dance. If you can remember anything I’ve said, then we’ll talk.” His eyes were intense, burning into her. It was only that moment that she realized. He was afraid of Riverdale too.

 

 

Veronica woke up before her alarm. Her window was cracked open, letting in the scent of spring morning air, the sound of birds singing nearby. Breathing in, she sat up and spread her hands along the smooth fabric of her bedsheets.

On mornings like this, her father would often step into her room with breakfast already prepared by their personal chef, the warm smell of coffee in the air. “Are you ready to make this city yours today, Veronica?” he would say with a proud smile.

“Of course, Daddy.” She’d answer confidently.

As she stepped out of her bed and into her closet, she could feel that same confidence. She picked out one of her favorite dresses, one from the good old days in New York City.

 

 

When she made it to school, Betty was waiting for her, “So I heard you made the cheerleading squad. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Betty.” She responded with a smile. “Just wait, I’m going to teach Cheryl Blossom a thing or two before we’re through.”

“Some compassion would be a miracle,” Betty said, looking out ahead of them.

Veronica just laughed, “Maybe I’ll scare her into it."

“Ronnie!” she turned around to the sound of Archie’s voice down the hall. He sprinted to them, and briefly, Veronica was surprised that Betty didn’t reprimand him for breaking school rules.

“Hey!” he said with that All-American charm she was growing to love. He glanced over at Betty, “Can I borrow Ronnie for a sec?”

Betty paused, staring at him and then glancing to Veronica. When their eyes met, it was almost as though there was an unanswered question there. _Do you want to go?_

Veronica found that she did. “I’ll see you in class, Betty.” She waved her off with a smile.

Betty still seemed apprehensive, but started to walk away, studying them all the while. If jealousy was going to be that much of an issue, Veronica thought, there wasn’t much she could do.

“Well, Archiekins. It is always a pleasure, but what is on your mind this morning?”

“Do you have plans for after school?”

“I’m pretty sure the Vixens keep a tight regimen, but after that my evening is free. What did you have in mind?”

“I have some tickets for the drive-in tonight. I thought you probably haven’t been, and it’s one of the highlights of Riverdale, so…” he trailed off looking at her hopefully.

Veronica was hit with a familiar feeling, for a moment her head was spinning. She could remember turning around the lunch tables outside, waiting for Betty’s response to that very same question. Her mind spun again, she could remember feeling sorry for agreeing to a date.

But why? Why did it matter? Betty had said it herself, he would find someone else eventually. He had, he had found her.

His expression was so warm, he was looking at her like she was the only person there. She felt special, and she felt powerful.

“Well, if it’s the place to be in Riverdale, then I guess I should grace the drive-in with an appearance.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I’d love to go with you.”

“Great!” he said with that glowing smile. “I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“It’s a date.”

 

 

There was no point in putting off the inevitable, Veronica thought as she sat down next to Betty in chemistry class. “I’m going with Archie to the drive-in tonight,” she said as lightly as she could.

Betty didn’t even blink as she copied the notes written up on the board, “Okay.”

Veronica looked over at her, but Betty didn’t turn her way. “So, we’re going with the cold shoulder then.”

“What?” Betty said incredulously, finally turning to face her. “No, Veronica. Do you want me to be angry with you? I’m not. I’m just….” She paused, taking a deep breath, “I had higher hopes, I guess.”

“It’s just a date, Betty. Between two single people. You should be moving on from a guy that isn’t interested in you anyway. It’s a waste of your time and energy.”

Betty turned away from her. The teacher had started the class, which gave her an excuse to ignore her again, but Veronica wasn’t ready to let the conversation go.

"I'm not going to feel guilty just because Archie doesn't like you." Veronica whispered under her breath.

Betty gave her a frustrated look and whispered in response, "You are the one who keeps bringing it up."

"I'm just saying you have other options!" Veronica glanced up at the front, but their teacher had started on a long lecture on lab safety. By now, she knew this happened at the beginning of every class. "Like, your weird friend Jughead, for example."

Veronica had gotten so used to receiving a dull response from Betty that it was completely unexpected when Betty's cheeks started to burn red. Betty's expression was almost alarmed. "What are you talking about?"

Veronica rolled her eyes, "Please. It took me a day to realize that boy was harboring the biggest crush on you."

Betty turned away from her, this time more solemn. "No, Veronica." Unlike before, Veronica felt like she really had touched a nerve.

She leaned over again, “What happened between the two of you?”

“Class has started.” Her tone was icy, and her posture had gone completely stiff. Veronica knew she wasn’t going to have much luck if she tried to push further.

 

 

Whatever issues Betty was having, it would have to wait. Today was Veronica’s first day as a Vixen, and she had a plan.

Practice went as she expected. Cheryl was just as unpleasant and demanding with the other girls on the squad as she was with everyone else. Her orders were followed religiously, but whenever her back was turned, there would be pained looks among the group.

It didn’t take Veronica long to get in rhythm with the routine, but at the end of one run through, Cheryl turned on her. “I know it’s your first day, but I will not ignore incompetence. Is that really the best that you can do?”

Veronica couldn’t help but grin. It was the opening she needed.

“You talk a big game, Cheryl, but if it was us, just you against me, do you really think you could beat me?” Veronica stepped up so that they were facing each other.

“What?” Cheryl said with a scoff. “Please. You think because you’re a big city girl in a small town that you’re better than me? No. Your form is weak and your sense of timing is pathetic.”

As Cheryl turned to walk away, Veronica raised her voice, “Let’s put it to a vote then. Have the Vixens decide who really deserves to be captain.”

Cheryl turned back suddenly, fuming. “I am the captain of the Vixens, Veronica.”

“Then prove it,” Veronica responded with a smirk. She pointed toward the middle of the gym, beckoning her to begin. “Show us your moves.”

There was the sound of nervous excitement from the other girls as one of them moved to the sound system and turned it on. Cheryl looked over at Veronica again, hatred burning in her eyes, but she had no way of getting out of the situation now.

Cheryl’s performance was fine, but under-rehearsed and it was clear that her anger made her movements a little sloppy. It was obvious that she hadn’t had to audition for anyone in a long time.

When it was her turn, Veronica stepped up with confidence. She had saved a specific routine for this moment. It allowed for a wide berth of movement across the gym, and would keep the audience’s eyes glued to her. As she hit the last beat, there was a look of excited glee shared among the other girls. Right in the center was Cheryl, a cold expression of fear on her face.

“So, what do you think, girls?” Veronica asked out to the crowd, “Who’s up for some new leadership?”

She won by unanimous vote.

 

 

It was only as she was about to exit, a few Vixens excitedly hovering around her, that she noticed Betty sitting on the bleachers near the doorway. Veronica said goodbye to the other girls and walked over to her.

“I’m starting to think you and Kevin are keeping tabs on me.”

“We’re your friends, Veronica. I just wanted to make sure everything went okay for you. Apparently, I didn’t need to worry.” Betty’s eyebrows quirked with amusement, “Cheerleading captain, huh?”

Veronica grinned at her, “What do you say, Betty? You’re free to join, now!” she opened her arms out as an invitation.

Betty’s response was not what she expected, “I don’t think so, Veronica…”

“Is this really about the thing with Archie? I already explained to you-“

“It’s not that,” Betty interrupted. “I pick my battles, and I don’t think cheerleading is worth it.”

Veronica leaned forward to place a hand on Betty’s shoulder, “I won’t let Cheryl bully you anymore.”

Betty’s smile was sweet, but sad, “Thanks, Veronica, but really. It’s not for me.”

“Okay…” Veronica sighed.

Betty stood up from the bleachers and took a step next to Veronica, “Up for a trip to Pops?”

Before she could agree, Veronica remembered her own plans, “I can’t. I should head home and get ready for my date.”

“Right…” Betty said slowly, her bottom lip curling in, “With Archie.”

Veronica dropped her hands down to her sides and sighed. She stepped out in front of Betty. “I knew it. I knew Archie was the real problem. If you’re going to be angry about this just say so. I can’t deal with you just being passive-aggressive about it. If you want to tell me off, then do it!”

“I’m not angry!” Betty started, defensively, “I’m not, it’s just…” Betty trailed off, she was looking Veronica over, her forehead wrinkling in thought. She paused, and then as though something had just occurred to her, her expression changed.

She took a step back, and abruptly her stance and her attitude were quite different, stern and aggressive, “You’re right, Veronica. I thought you were better than this.” she put a hand out, pointing at Veronica. “All your talk about being a better person here, and do you know who you are really acting like? Cheryl.”

“Excuse me?” Veronica responded, bitterly.

“Yes. Just like Cheryl. If it had really been that important to go on a date with Archie, maybe you would have come to me first, but that didn’t matter, did it? Because that’s not what this is about. This is about what you feel belongs to you. The guy you like, the position in the cheerleading squad.”

“That is not what this is about, Betty. Don’t take it out on me, if you’re jealous!” The sound of her voice echoed within the gym.

Betty stopped, and took a deep breath, “You should think about what it really is that you want, Veronica.” With that, she turned around and walked out of the gym.

 

 

By the time she made it home, Veronica had managed to calm down. She wasn’t going to let a jealous fight ruin her night. She took her time, picking out the right outfit, setting a string of pearls across her neck. If he could see her now, she knew her father would be proud of her.

She moved in front of the mirror and smiled at her reflection. She added one final touch of lipstick, but she knew; she looked perfect. She was ready for the perfect night with the perfect guy.

She took a step back and gave herself one more look-over. As her eyes came back to her face, suddenly her heart stopped. There was a stranger in her place. The girl staring back at her was someone she didn’t recognize.

She blinked, and the feeling was gone. She was just herself, flawless in the mirror.

She turned away before the feeling could come again.

 

 

Archie drove up to the Pembrooke in his father’s pickup truck, a little more put together than usual in a collared shirt and jeans. He met her with a small rose in hand, and awkwardly opened the passenger door to let her in. It was all so incredibly charming that Veronica kept smiling to herself on the drive over to the theatre.

The drive-in was already filled with people. Archie explained that this was a typical Friday date night spot. He managed to park them right in the middle of the lot, where they had a clear center view of the screen.

After Archie purchased popcorn and drinks for them, she slid across the seat, so that she could comfortably lean against him as the opening theme started to play. She didn’t even know what movie was playing, but she didn’t mind. She leaned up at Archie, and smiled.

As he moved his arm to rest behind her, he asked, “So now that you’ve been here for a week, how are you feeling about Riverdale?”

“I’m warming up to it,” she said with a smile.

“Good,” he said, grinning. His eyes were inconspicuously jumping from her eyes to her lips.

The music from the film swelled, a romantic tune. It was as though it was the soundtrack to their own moment, as if they were the ones on the film screen. As Archie leaned down to kiss her, everything was perfect.

When he pulled away, she smiled. Here she was, she had earned the respect that had been lost to her in New York, she had a beautiful man by her side. She had beaten Cheryl Blossom at her own game. Riverdale was hers to enjoy.

Wasn’t that what she wanted?

Like a ghost in the back of her mind, she could hear Betty’s voice, “You should think about what it really is that you want, Veronica.”

She turned toward the movie so that Archie wouldn’t see the feeling of panic that had suddenly hit her. As she looked up at the screen, she realized that the actress on film really did remind her of herself. She took a deep breath. She felt overcome, like she had lost her footing and was suddenly floating in an open abyss. Just a moment ago, it felt like everything had fallen into place, but now. It all felt too easy.

If she wasn’t Veronica Lodge, the girl cast out because of her father’s mistakes, the girl who was determined to change, then who was she?

Veronica carried herself through the rest of the date as best she could, but inside she felt drained. When Archie dropped her off, he leaned down to kiss her again, an excited smile on his face. She smiled back. It was nice to know that he had had a good time. In another situation, she knew she would have enjoyed herself too. It filled her with guilt, because she couldn’t shake the idea that there was something wrong with her.

Before she could step out, Archie leaned over, “We’re still on for the dance, right? I’ll pick you up?”

“Oh.” She had forgotten about the dance, “Right, I’ll… see you then.” When he smiled with relief, she still found herself smiling back as she stepped out of the truck.

It was only as she watched Archie drive away that she realized what was wrong. Somewhere along the way she had stopped fighting. Since she had gotten what she wanted, she had stopped questioning this town and the things happening around her.

What had Betty said? That she was like Cheryl? Maybe she really was. Willing to forget at a moment’s notice when it was convenient.

She walked into the building, and decided on a better plan.

 

 

The night of the dance, Veronica took long steps as she made her way up to the bright red door of the house. She was surprised to find she was a little nervous. She didn’t know how this would go. She rang the doorbell, and did her best to collect herself.

Betty opened the door, already dressed for the night in a charming pink dress, her hair down and fluffed into curls. For a moment, Betty just blinked. She had a guarded expression when she finally said awkwardly, but with a short laugh, “You know Archie's house is next door, right?”

“I've canceled my plans with Archie, I think it will be much more fun to go with my new best friend. With you, B. If you’ll have me.”

Immediately, Betty’s shoulders relaxed. She exhaled and her expression bloomed into a relieved, warm smile. It was so heartbreakingly tender that Veronica knew she had made the right choice. It was an expression she had never seen on Betty’s face before.

“Of course, V. I would love to go with you. As long as you don’t mind me checking in on refills of punch every so often.”

“The perfect date,” Veronica answered with a laugh. After Betty went to get her purse, Veronica linked arms with her and led her down the stairs. “Allow me to escort you,” she directed them to the family car, the chauffeur already holding the door for them.

 

 

“Well this is a surprise,” Kevin said when he saw them walk into the lavishly decorated gym.

“C’mon,” Veronica said linking her free arm with his. “You can both be my dates. I’ll show you how Veronica Lodge has fun at a dance.”

Veronica could see Kevin give Betty a questioning glance, but in response Betty just shrugged and laughed, “Veronica decided this was how she wanted to spend the dance. Who am I to say no?”

As Veronica pulled them to the dancefloor, she moved her arms so that they were no longer linked, but trailed her hands to curl around both of their wrists. “I’m sorry. You were right. I wanted things to be easy, but somehow, I ended up acting just like I used to in New York. You are great friends, and I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, “Even if Cheryl gets under your skin? Even if Archie bats those pretty eyes of his?”

Veronica laughed. “Especially then. I’ll come talk to you about it first.”

Kevin glanced over, “Betty?”

Betty’s responding smile had a hint of mischief in it, “Absolutely.”

 

 

Hours later, their feet aching from dancing in heels, Veronica sat next to Betty on the side bleachers, sliding her shoes off and resting her feet against the cold floor.

At some point Kevin had slipped away from them. Betty didn’t seem concerned, and Veronica hoped that meant that maybe there was someone in Riverdale that saw him as the catch he was.

The music had changed to accommodate slow dancing, and it was a relief to be able to hear what Betty had to say without talking over a loud beat.

“Come stay at the Pembrooke tonight, Betty. We can have a proper girl’s night, gossip and all.”

Betty laughed, “I didn’t exactly bring a change of clothes.”

“You can borrow mine, or we can stop by your house first. Whatever you want.”

“Sure,” she said with a brief smile.

Then she was quiet for a moment. “Veronica. For the record,” Betty said eventually, her voice soft, “If you want to be with Archie, that doesn’t bother me. I just thought… it started to seem like you thought it _should_ bother me. That you wanted me to be angry about it.”

Veronica smiled, but it came out more of a wince, “Maybe deep down, I knew I was being unfair.”

Betty leaned over so their shoulders were touching, “I’m proud to be your friend, Veronica. Don’t forget that.”

At the word _forget_ , something shook inside her. Almost like an echoed sound, distorted and hollow, or an emotion out of reach. Words, just at the tip of her tongue.

_You’ll just forget anything I tell you_ , he had said. She could hear the words clearly now, but she didn’t understand why they were important. What context they had been spoken in.

“Veronica?” Betty sounded concerned.

When Veronica look up at her, she remembered. Jughead bitter and upset. He had challenged her, and she had almost forgotten.

She reached out for Betty’s arm, “Tell you what. I’ll drop you off at home and while you get your things together, I’ll grab something from Pop’s for us.”

Betty looked amused, “Pop’s again?”

“They do have the best onion rings in town.”

 

 

“I didn’t forget,” she announced before she had even gotten to his booth. “Well, I almost did, but that’s beside the point.”

She sat down. “I didn’t forget.”

Some part of her had wanted to watch him admit defeat, but Jughead was just staring at her.

“Veronica.” He eventually said.

“Yes,” she responded impatiently. “I get it, this town messes with your mind and all that. So, tell me what you know.”

Nothing had changed in his expression, he was still just staring.

Veronica huffed angrily. “Look, just…Tell me how tonight went. In your words,” She pointed across at the laptop, open in its usual position.

Jughead cleared his throat, and glanced uncomfortably at her before scrolling up with the mousepad.

“The perfect dance requires only a few things. A classic dress or a fitted suit and tie, two attractive people under glimmering lights that somehow makes a fifty-year-old gym transform into something else entirely. Veronica Lodge had all of it. She had accomplished that perfect teenage dream. It didn’t occur to her that the planning that had made this night possible had been coordinated by the solitary girl refilling the snacks next to the punch bowl. Archie Andrews pulled his date into a twirl, completely ignorant of the lonely eyes of one Betty Cooper-“

“That didn't happen.” Veronica interrupted.

Jughead stopped reading and glanced up at her.

“None of that happened. I took Betty to the dance, we had a great time.”

At her words, something in Jughead’s expression changed. A deeper emotion. It took her a moment to recognize it. Longing.

In a heartbeat, it was gone, and his expression returned to being closed and defensive.

Veronica leaned forward on her elbows so she had a good view of the document open on Jughead's laptop, “What you wrote didn't happen. It's wrong. Change it.”

Jughead's response was to slam the laptop lid shut.

“It doesn't work like that, Veronica.” Jughead's shoulders had hunched in, his expression looking more and more like that of a caged animal.

“This whole Riverdale 'thing’. Whatever is happening, I'm not going to let it make my decisions for me. You shouldn't either.”

“Change it,” she said with finality as she got out of the booth. In one smooth motion, she picked up her order at the front and exited the diner.

 

 

Well after Veronica had left the diner, Jughead tentatively opened his laptop again. He stared at the last few pages he had spent the night agonizing through.

He had despised writing it. Even from where he was sitting, he could imagine Betty's face. Alone. Unhappy. Stuck in a pointless narrative of the girl unchosen.

He could still clearly remember that look of rebellion in her eyes when she had asked him to go. It had played on repeat over in his mind as he wrote out the night's events.

In the end, she had managed it. She hadn't done... any of what he had written.

It wouldn't stay that way.

He wondered if he could write it. The night as it actually happened. Betty laughing as Veronica stepped up on the tips of her toes to pull her into a twirl. Leaning on each other when their feet grew too tired to dance anymore. He could imagine it easily, he knew exactly how Betty’s face brightened when she was happy and carefree, even though it had been an eternity since he had last seen it.

Jughead stared at his written work, his stomach tied in knots.

If he could write it.

If he could change it.

The cursor blinked at him.

He tried setting his fingers on the keys of computer, but he felt them curl into fists.

He couldn't write.

He couldn't write it.

But.

He took a deep breath, and before he had the chance to think about his actions, he shut his eyes firmly, and pressed his thumb on to the backspace button, holding his breath.

There was a dull pain in his fingers, pounding in rhythm with his own heartbeat. With each extra beat, the pain intensified.

He didn’t know how long he held out. He was completely overwhelmed by a searing pain all the way up his arms. He ripped his hands away, and slammed the laptop shut.

He gasped for air. The burning pain was gone, but his limbs now were aching and jittery. Sliding his laptop in his bag, he tried not to focus on what he had just done and exited out of the diner into the night air.


	5. IV.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the deep recesses of Riverdale, lies corruption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Yavannie for her help with this chapter! <3
> 
> And thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter, you made my whole week!
> 
> Art for this fic is also up [ on tumblr.](http://satelliteinasupernova.tumblr.com/)

 

 

Veronica and Betty sat curled up on Veronica's king sized bed, fully cushioned in with pillows, an assortment of food from Pop's in front of them. There was a bundle of hamburger wrappers and half eaten portions of fries and onion rings resting on a large metal tray with ornate flower details curled around the sides. The tray was typically used for much grander occasions, but it felt right to use it now- almost rebellious. Betty leaned forward to grab a fry and dipped it into her vanilla milkshake.

“This was your first time actually going to a dance?” Veronica asked.

“Well... no.” Betty put her shake down. “I help organize them, so I always end up going. This was the first time I've actually gone with anyone, or even danced at all.” Betty sighed, “I was always just...holding out for Archie, I guess.”

Veronica thought back to Jughead's writing. Betty watching Archie from the sidelines. It seemed painfully lonely. “Not even with Kevin?”

Betty had been reaching for another fry, but at Veronica’s words, she stopped. “...no. I never even thought to go with a friend.”

“Well, if you find yourself without a date again, consider me first in line.”

Betty laughed, “Thank you, V. I had a lot of fun tonight. More than I've had in a long time.”

“I'm glad. Especially since I haven't been at my best lately.”

Betty smiled at her as she stood up from the bed. “Bygones, Veronica.” She had noticed the display of photos on Veronica's dresser and moved forward to inspect them. It mostly included family photos with her parents, glamour shots, a few team photos from past cheerleading competitions, and snapshots of Veronica from previous sightseeing adventures.

“Betty,” Veronica said, waiting for Betty to look back at her, “I know we've already talked about this, but I just want to say… If you ever need help with anything. Anything. All you have to do is ask. I'll be there for you.”

Betty smiled warmly, “Thanks, V. I'd do the same for you.” She reached for one of the photos. “Is this Sweetwater River?”

Veronica sat up to get a closer look, “Oh. Yes. It is. That's from back when my parents still lived in Riverdale. My mother must have moved it, I didn’t even know it was up there. It's always been a favorite of mine.”

Betty looked back to the photo thoughtfully, “Have you been to Sweetwater yet?”

“No,” Veronica considered, “I haven't had the opportunity. You've been there, I assume?”

Betty didn't move her gaze from the photo. “...I can’t remember. Definitely not any time recently.”

“Well then, we should go together. See this Riverdale attraction for ourselves.”

Betty turned around, and for a moment, her eyes were wary. When she stared back at the photo, her expression set into a look of determination. Eventually she said, “Okay.” She set the photo back on its perch, “I'm curious about it too.”

“Speaking of curious...” Veronica eyed Betty as she sat back down.

Betty gave her a quick smile, her expression suspicious. She picked up the container with the remaining bits of onion rings and held it out to Veronica. “Here we go...”

Veronica tossed a small piece of onion ring in her mouth. “So, about Jughead.”

She closed her eyes and groaned, “Veronica... There's really nothing to tell.”

“That’s not been my impression, B.”

In fact, Veronica had an endless list of questions on the subject. Not just about Jughead, but about the town of Riverdale, itself. Did Betty feel an unnerving pull in Riverdale like Veronica did? Had she talked to Jughead about his writing? She wanted to ask, but in that moment, sitting on her bed in her pajamas, snacking on the remains of their dinner, it all felt silly... Like a ghost story that she had built up in her head until she believed it. She could already imagine the confused expression Betty would give her if she explained her fears. Finally, everything felt normal again. It felt like a dream that had passed.

The look Betty gave her was amused, “Do you want to go back to talking about Archie?”

“God, no.” Though, Veronica was a bit relieved to be steered back to a topic that she knew was real.

“Then how about we talk about something else. Tell me about New York. What it was like.”

So she did. She spoke about the little things she missed, going downtown after school, her long list of food stops to try. She used to write a name down every time one was recommended to her, and when the time came to pick one, she would put a finger out and select one at random. She had never been bored in New York. There was always something new to distract her.

Eventually, she spoke about her regrets too. Those memories of places that she was fond of also reminded her of the people she had shared them with. She had gathered mean, callous people around her because she had enjoyed how they had looked up to her, and their own venomous attitude had kept her from questioning her own. She could remember kinder people in her life, but when given the chance, she had used or hurt them as she saw fit. She hoped she was different now, a better person. A better friend.

While Veronica shared her memories, Betty was quiet, but her expression was earnest and supportive. It filled Veronica with a warmth that nearly brought her to tears. Betty continued to ask questions, even as they cleared off the bed, and slid next to each other under the covers.

“I would love to take you to New York, Betty. I can think of all kinds of places that you would love.”

“That would be fun, V, but we might have to make do with Sweetwater River for now.” Veronica could tell that Betty was already starting to doze off, and could feel sleep catching up to her as well.

She thought back to what Betty had told her earlier in the night. “Are you really proud to be my friend, B?”

Betty smiled, her eyes fluttering slightly with exhaustion, “I am. I want to be more like you. I don't want to let this town get to me either.”

It felt like Betty was answering a question Veronica had never managed to ask. In her half asleep state, Veronica found herself asking, “Do you think we'll find anything there? At Sweetwater?”

“I don't know,” Betty answered softly. She closed her eyes, but after a pause, she quietly said, “I don’t know, but... sometimes Jughead kisses me like he’s drowning.”

Veronica didn’t know what that had to do with Sweetwater River. She found she was even more surprised by how few questions she had about the statement. _You’ve been kissing Jughead Jones?_ she could see herself asking. As her thoughts trailed and her eyelids grew heavy, she realized that it didn't surprise her at all.

 

 

When Veronica started to wake, she was vaguely aware that Betty was no longer beside her. She heard the sound of pages flipping from across the room. Slowly, Veronica sat up, blinking her eyes open. Betty was sitting on the floor next to her overnight bag, a book in her hand. It was pink with a latch over it- a diary.

When Betty looked up, she closed the book immediately, as though on reflex. “Good Morning, V.” She made no comment about what she had been doing as she slid the diary into her bag, but in her expression was a question. Something unsaid. Her jaw moved, her teeth were grinding together.

When she did speak, she said, “Smithers knocked on the door earlier. He said breakfast is ready for us.”

There was an assortment of toppings for yogurt and a selection of bagels already waiting for them on the kitchen counter. As they poured cups of coffee to go with breakfast, Veronica looked up to see Betty watching her. Veronica immediately felt self-conscious, wondering if she had somehow done something wrong. She approached it the only way she knew how, with fake confidence.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m surprised my calves aren’t sore after the dance last night. Usually, I always end up regretting it in the morning.”

There was a moment of silence before Betty reacted. Abruptly, she laughed. “What?” Veronica asked, but Betty was still fighting a fit of giggles. When she finally stopped, she looked happy, almost relieved.

“Same for me,” she said, “Which is good, because I need to go in to school today to help with the clean up. Do you want to come?”

 

 

When they arrived at school, there was already a small gathering of students. Some were sweeping the floor, others were helping move tables. Kevin was removing a set of lights from the doorway. Before she could ask him about his secret rendezvous from the night before, he gave them an exhausted look.

“Nice of you both to make it, since I was stuck here last night by myself.”

“Wh-” Veronica was about to say that the exact opposite had happened, when she was stopped by Betty’s hand on her arm. When she looked over at her, Betty’s attention was focused on Kevin.

“I’m sorry, Kev,” she said with a smile. “We just decided it was better to avoid the drama of the dance altogether.”

“I get it, but you owe me, Betty. I was stuck on refills by myself.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” she laughed.

“You’re right,” he said, lifting up a box and handing it to Betty, “I’ll leave you with the job of getting the ladder and pulling those lights from the ceiling.”

Betty shoved into him playfully, but moved on to the other side of the gym. Veronica watched her go, still trying to make sense of what was happening around her. She looked up at Kevin, “You spent yesterday at the dance alone?”

“Well,” he said mischievously, “without the two of you at least. I’m just teasing. I was fine covering for Betty last night. I hope you two had fun.”

“We did…” she said slowly.

“If you want to help, mind taking some decorations down the hall?” He pointed to several displays of fake flowers bundled together on the floor. “They’ll just go in the drama classroom for now. Do you know where it is?”

“By the music room. I’ll take care of it.” She picked up of one of the large bouquets. At the very least, this would give her time to process what was happening.

Something had changed, but different than any time before. She still hadn’t gone to the dance with Archie, even though it was what Jughead said would happen. Did that mean she had changed it? That his writing was wrong? If that was the case, wouldn’t things have carried on as she remembered? She and Betty _had_ gone to the dance.

Then why…

She thought back to her conversation with Jughead. _Change it_ , she had said. He had done something, and Riverdale had changed. She was sure of it.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed the familiar form of Archie Andrews down the hall. He was leaning outside a classroom, glancing in awkwardly. As she got closer, she could hear the sound of music and a smooth, beautiful voice along with it.

“Helping with the clean up?” she asked. Archie hadn’t noticed her approach, and jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Veronica?” his cheeks turned red. He slid back into the corner away from the door so he was out of sight from the window of the classroom. “No… I’m…” He glanced back at the door. She recognized it as the music room, and when she was close enough to see through the window, she looked in to see a group of girls playing instruments.

“Who are they?”

“...The Pussycats. They play in the music room sometimes when it’s free.”

“New crush?”

“No, Veronica.” he said, looking wounded. “My feelings for you aren't going to change just because you stood me up…”

Veronica gave him an apologetic smile, “So why are you here, then?”

“I just…” he paused for a moment and looked at her seriously. “Do you promise not to laugh?”

She decided it wouldn’t help to point out that this whole encounter was rather comical. “If it's something you feel strongly about, then of course.”

“Do you ever just… wish you were different? Even when things are going well for you, do you ever hope for something else?”

“Of course. All the time,” Veronica answered, honestly. “To be a new, better version of myself, at least.”

“It’s just that… when I hear the Pussycats play, I wish… I wish I could do that, you know?”

From inside the classroom, the song changed to a softer ballad. Archie continued, “Sometimes, I just find myself here, wondering if I’ll get the courage to try it myself.”

“I can certainly see the appeal of a beautiful man serenading me. I’m sure others would as well. You should go for it.”

Archie sighed, “I don’t even know if I would be good at it.” He leaned against the door, facing Veronica with weary look. “The Pussycats actually left Riverdale once. Moved to the big city, signed a contract and everything.”

“What happened?”

“It didn't work out, and they moved back home. They say no one leaves Riverdale for long.”

She couldn’t shake the image of her parents, standing in front of the river. “Clearly some people do, my parents for instance.”

He shrugged, “But now you’re back.”

She swallowed. There was a lump in her throat. “You think I was always meant to come here?”

Archie smiled at her, “Doesn’t it feel a bit like destiny?” Once she would have seen it all as romantic, but when it came to Riverdale, inevitability was a terrifying thing.

She wasn't going to let it get to her anymore, “Maybe, but I’m not going to let destiny determine my life. Don’t worry, Archie. Riverdale is going to change. We’re all going to change, so start working on that music.”

  


 

The bell rang out in the diner as Veronica Lodge stepped in. Jughead had been expecting her to show up at some point, ready with a new batch of questions. What he didn't expect was for Betty to be with her.

For a moment, Jughead suspected that they had actually come to Pop's for a meal. By now, it was a common occurrence for them. That thought was immediately proven wrong when Veronica glanced around the diner until her eyes met his.

As she took a step toward him, Betty put out a hand to stop her. “Veronica...” She glanced up at him. For just the briefest moment, their eyes met. He felt his whole body flutter with nerves.

“C'mon,” Veronica said. She took Betty’s arm and started to move in his direction.

“Wait...” Betty muttered, but it was meek. She was already starting to give up even as she said it.

Veronica slid into the seat across from him, and patted down next to her, motioning at Betty to sit. Jughead gave Veronica a passing glance, enough to see a triumphant look on her face, but he didn't dwell on it. He couldn't even think. Betty was sitting across from him.

She looked nervous. She fiddled with her bag by putting it in her lap, and then awkwardly placed it at her side. Only a moment later, she put out a hand to reach for it when it started to fall out of the seat. She glanced at him, before saying, “Hey, Juggie.”

_Juggie?_ Veronica mouthed at him, but he ignored her.

Things had never gone this way before. It had never started like this.

He could blink his eyes and wind through the memories like individual frames on a movie reel. He could remember in detail a dozen scenarios where Betty had sat across from him at Pop's and every one of them had one thing in common.

_"Something doesn't feel right, Jug."_ she'd say.

But she hadn't said it.

Jughead had never had much faith in Veronica's insistence that she could break through the rules of Riverdale, but this _was_ change. He didn’t know what to make of it. He wanted desperately to reach out to Betty, but he couldn’t.

Jughead was still trying to calm the panic inside him when Pop stepped up to their booth, “This is an unusual combination.”

“You know, today feels special,” Veronica said. “I want something different. How about a cherry float? What about you, Betty?”

Betty blinked and glanced between Veronica and Pop as though she had only just noticed the conversation around her, “Oh, I don't want anything. I can't really stay.”

“Betty...” Veronica leaned toward her, imploringly.

“Really, I'm fine. But Jug...” she looked to him again. He was no closer to getting a handle on his emotions, the moment their eyes met again, it hit him all over again. Veronica was looking expectantly at him to make an order, but his tongue felt like sandpaper and he didn't know if he could form the words.

“Can we get a hamburger, everything on it, with a side order of fries and a strawberry milkshake,” Betty said instead.

“The usual then,” Pop said, winking. When he stepped away, there was a brief moment of silence.

Only then did Jughead realize that his leg was bouncing uncontrollably under the table. He hadn't even noticed when it had started. He took a deep breath and tried to stop the motion, but he couldn't. His nerves had started to take over his entire body.

 Betty was across from him, and he just wanted her to-

 He just wanted her to say-

 “So we've had an interesting morning, Jughead,” Veronica said instead. “We went and helped clean up the decorations for the dance, even though we decided to stay home and have a girl's night. Apparently.”

He couldn’t look away from Betty, anxious for even the smallest of clues about what she was thinking. It took a moment for him to process what Veronica had said. He knew what she was insinuating, but in front of Betty?

“Veronica…” he warned. When he looked back to Betty, her expression was frozen. He could tell the gears in her head were turning. She glanced between them, but after a moment dug into her coat pocket to pull out her phone.

She gave it a suspiciously quick look before saying, “My mom wants me to head home. I’m sorry, I really have to go.”

“Betty…” Veronica whined.

“I know, I told you I couldn’t stay long.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Betty had never been a good liar. Most of the time, it was endearing. Right now, Jughead wasn’t sure how he felt. He kept thinking back to Betty sitting across from him, all those times before.

_"Something doesn't feel right, Jug."_

It wasn’t happening now, maybe it would never happen again.

Veronica gave up on insisting she stay, and instead said, “We’re still on for our sightseeing tomorrow, right, B?”

Betty stopped and turned back. Her eyes flickered to him so fast that he almost missed it. He felt foolish. He was practically counting each moment that she acknowledged him with a glance. “Right. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She waved goodbye to them, then quickly left, holding her bag close.

As the door to the diner shut, Jughead could breathe again. He felt hollowed out, like his emotions had been painfully scooped out of his chest with a spoon.

He looked up at Veronica who was studying him with an inquisitive look. “What did you do?” she asked.

At first he thought they were talking about Betty, but then he realized what she meant. “I didn't do anything,” which in a way was true.

Veronica rolled her eyes.

They were interrupted when Pop came by and placed a vivid pink drink in front of Veronica and slid a milkshake to him. “Food’s on its way.”

Veronica took a sip from her drink. “Last night, you gave me this long description of how I went to the dance with Archie and left Betty by herself. This morning, it turns out that we didn’t go to the dance at all. How exactly did that happen?”

Jughead sighed. He leaned back before confessing, “I erased it.”

Veronica stared at him, there was excitement forming in her eyes, “You can do that?”

“No. I’ve never done it before, but I couldn’t just let Betty-” he pulled down on the rim of his hat. “I didn’t want to just _leave_ it like that.”

“That means... we can change it!” At the glee in Veronica’s face, he felt himself grow ill. “We can change Riverdale!”

“No, we can’t, Veronica. You can’t just... control this town. It warps you, breaks you, and then floods inside the gaps. I managed this once, that doesn’t mean I will ever be able to do it again.”

“We still have to try,” she reached out for his laptop, where it sat resting on the table. He picked it up before she could reach it, glaring at her.

She huffed, sitting back. “I don’t understand why you don’t see the possibilities here.”

Carefully, he put the laptop back down, “I have been here a lot longer than you have.”

At this, Veronica looked thoughtful, “Archie said something today. He said that everyone returns to Riverdale eventually. Do you think that, too? Do you think that’s why I’m here?”

“Yes,” he answered. “Riverdale draws you in, with nostalgia, with dreams of childhood memories. You were the same way in the end. Once you’re drawn in, you can’t escape.”

“I’m not going to let it take hold of me again,” she said, closing her eyes.

He wasn’t sure if he believed her now or not. Sure, he had started the change this time, but Veronica would take even the smallest opening and tear through it. She was even taking Betty with her.

It was for the best, he told himself. Any freedom for Betty was worth it. It didn’t ease the pain that welled up inside him, even as he tried to convince himself. Riverdale had to change.

Even if he would never touch Betty again.

“What’s wrong?” Veronica disrupted his thoughts, her voice concerned.

“Nothing.” his voice cracked.

“Is it about Betty?” she asked. He looked up to the ceiling, she just _had_ to go there.

“No, Veronica.” he insisted.

“Betty won’t tell me either. Whatever is up between you two.” Betty had nothing to tell, because he was nothing to her, he considering saying. He didn’t.

“Riverdale keeps pulling her back towards Archie, doesn’t it? That’s why your writing keeps focusing on it. We have to do what we can to help her.”

Jughead gave a hollow laugh, “You think that’s all of it? And what about you and Archie? Do you really think any of this is real? We’re just puppets, all of us. All of our feelings.”

He could feel heat rising to his head. A feeling of panic was clawing its way up his throat. “You think you have this figured out? Riverdale just loves to hurt people. We can try to change whatever we want, but I’ll just be stuck forever. With these false feelings. The pathetic loner watching the beautiful girl-next-door. Forever. None of it will ever be real-”

Suddenly everything stopped. He was hit with ice cold liquid. He felt a clump of ice cream fall down his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, Veronica was standing, glaring down at him with an empty glass in her hand.

“Did you say that to Betty?” she asked angrily. Her voice was cold and dangerous, but he wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he stared down at his laptop. It was caked in red liquid.

“What did you do?” he cried, grabbing at the napkin container and pulling out a handful to clean up the mess.

“Jughead! Are you even listening? What did you tell Betty?” The words were distant. He could barely breathe. The liquid was everywhere.

Vaguely, he heard the sound of a glass being put down on the table, “I can’t believe you.” There were steps and the harsh, sudden ring of the bell from the diner door.

He had used up all the napkins at the table, and the laptop was still sticky when he ran his hand over it. He heard a sigh next to him. Pop reached out and ran a towel around the table and on the laptop.

Finally, Jughead could feel himself calming down. He looked up, “Thanks, Pop…”

The look Pop returned was pitying. “Your food is ready.”

Jughead sighed, “Could you just…” As he moved, he noticed for the first time that his own clothes were still covered in the remains of soda and ice cream. “Could you put it in a bag for me. I’m just going to… head out.”

Pop nodded, sadly, “Sure, Jug.”

  


 

The next morning, Veronica woke to several inches of snow outside. The temperature was well below freezing. It was the first time Riverdale had been hit with weather like this since she arrived, and it came at the most inopportune time. Betty met her at the entrance to Pembrooke as they had planned, in a winter coat with gloves and a heavy scarf.

“Well, on the bright side, it will probably be beautiful,” Betty said when Veronica complained to her about the weather.

“How can there be a bright side when there’s no sun?” Veronica huffed. Betty just laughed in response.

They walked down along the road toward the river, until they arrived at the bridge that Veronica had known all her life. It was beautiful in person. She stepped up to the edge in the exact position that her parents had stood. She could see a far distance down the river. Everything, even the river itself, was covered in snow.

Veronica turned back to Betty, who was staring out with an uneasy expression. “What’s wrong, Betty?”

“I’m not sure… I don’t think I’ve been here but….” She walked across the bridge until she reached the other side of the river. “I think we can get down from here.” Veronica followed her to a set of stairs with a handrail. Veronica could see that it led down to the riverbank. “Be careful…” Betty said as she started walking down.

Once she was down the stairs, Veronica stepped toward the riverbank. It was so cold that the river was sealed with ice. Even though it was frozen over, she thought she could hear the flow of the river, like a hum in the air.

Veronica knelt down next to the river and ran a gloved hand over the ice, clearing off a layer of snow. The ice wasn’t white like she expected-it was a deep black. It looked like a large sheet of crystal, only the smallest of fractures disrupting the clear reflection. Veronica could see herself. Her dark eyes stared back at her. She blinked, and the eyes that she saw reminded her of her father’s.

With just the memory of his eyes, she was flooded with a loneliness she hadn’t realized was there. It hurt how much she missed him. There he was, reflected back at her. She could just reach out and touch him.

“Get away from the river, Veronica!” Betty yelled. Veronica was forcefully brought to her feet. Betty pulled her by the arm, dragging her away from the river bank.

“Betty? What- what are you-?”

“It isn’t safe,” she said desperately. “I can’t remember… I can’t remember it clearly, but it’s not safe.” She was breathing heavily, hiccuping in between gasps. All color had left her face.

Veronica felt her mind start to clear. She reached out to hold Betty by her arms, stilling her. “What? What is that place?”

Betty’s breaths were only getting more ragged, “I can’t- I’m not like you, Veronica. I can’t-” No matter how many breaths she took, it seemed like she couldn’t get enough air.

“Slow down, Betty. Take deeper breaths.” Veronica helped her kneel down to the ground into a pile of snow. “We don’t have to talk right now. Just, relax.” She sat in close, and rubbed at Betty’s back, hoping she was being comforting. “What do you need. Let’s… Should I take you get home?”

Betty nodded, gratefully. Tears were starting to drop to her cheeks.

“Okay,” Veronica said, pulling her into a hug, “I’ll get you home.”

 

 

Veronica’s sleep that night was fitful. She dreamt that she was deep underwater, large hands pulling her down into an endless expanse. She woke up, no longer sure what was real and what was a dream. She found herself in her father’s old study, her portrait hanging above his desk, looking down at them. She stared it as though she had never seen it before. She couldn’t see the resemblance. That girl wasn’t her anymore.

She woke in her bed. There was a buzzing to her side, and she cracked an eye open to see her phone lit up on her bedside table. She reached for it, and glanced at the time. Just passed midnight. There was a recent message on her phone from Betty.

_Can you meet me at Pop’s?_

It was an unusual request, but she decided it would be worth it, despite the late hour. She wanted to talk to Betty again.

She slipped out of bed. For a moment, she considered changing clothes, but decided instead to wrap herself in a long jacket and to slip on comfortable shoes. She left the apartment as quietly as possible, and headed out into the night.

The air was crisp. It was so quiet that her soft steps on the sidewalk echoed in her ears. Her only companions on the street were the street lamps lighting her way to the diner.

When she stepped inside, it was completely empty except for Betty, waiting for her in a booth with a cup of tea. Steam was lifting high above the rim of the cup.

Veronica glanced around again to be sure, but for the first time, Jughead was nowhere to be seen. There was no sound of keystrokes either. It was the only time the diner had ever been this quiet, The silence had a calming effect, like stepping into a warm bath.

When Veronica sat down across from Betty, she noticed there was a second cup of tea already waiting for her. She glanced up to meet Betty’s eyes, and paused at her expression. Her eyes had a burning fire in them. Veronica felt goosebumps up her arms. When Betty had told her she was proud to be her friend, she thought she understood what that felt like. It was nothing compared to what she felt now.

Betty looked ready to fight.

“You said if I ever needed help, all I had to do was ask.”

“And I meant it,” Veronica responded.

“Please, Veronica. Help me save Jug.”


	6. V.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely Yavannie for her beta work on this chapter!
> 
> Art for this fic (including a few extra pieces) are up [ on tumblr.](http://satelliteinasupernova.tumblr.com/)
> 
> As a heads up, this chapter may be a bit tough to read, it includes panic attacks and death mention. Tread carefully, ilu!
> 
> Thank you for following this strange fic! <3

 

 

 

 

 

The nervous energy Jughead had felt sitting across from Betty at Pop’s never quite left him. For days afterward, he would look down to find his hand shaking, his knee bouncing in place when he sat down. He didn’t know what he was feeling anymore, but sitting still didn’t feel right.  
  
He didn’t know if he was waiting for something to happen, or if he was ready to act.   
  
It was one morning when Jughead had only just made his way to Pop’s that Betty walked in the door. Alone. She hadn’t gone to school. He was pretty sure it was a school day, at least. She didn’t look at him, or even around the diner. She walked straight to a booth on the other side of the room and sat down in a seat that was facing his direction. It was then that she looked him square in the eye. His breathing stopped completely.   
  
He stared back at her across the diner. There were at least four booths between them. Eventually she glanced down, but only a few moments later she caught his eyes again. It was like they were set pieces in a classic romantic film, one that had been warped into absurdity. When he thought about it, that seemed to describe their entire relationship.   
  
Pop walked up to Betty’s table and set down a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. She smiled at him, briefly, and Jughead felt like he could breathe again.   
  
This was completely uncharted territory. He still wanted her to walk up to him, to sit down. The words  _Something doesn't feel right, Jug_ cycled round and round in his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Betty wasn’t going to come to him. He didn’t understand why, but he knew it was true.   
  
When he opened his eyes again, Betty was watching him expectantly.   
  
Betty wasn’t going to come to him.   
  
_Something doesn't feel right, Jug,_ her voice was like static in his head.   
  
He was going to have to get up.   
  
_Something doesn't feel right, Jug,_ each time she had looked at him with a smile, but also expectantly. Like she was now.   
  
Why couldn’t he get up?   
  
_Something doesn't feel right, Jug._  
  
Why was he still sitting here?   
  
He gritted his teeth, and forced himself up, dragging his bag from his seat with one hand. His feet felt like they were made of lead, but he moved forward anyway, one step at a time until he finally reached Betty’s booth, exhausted. He sat down heavily and looked up.   
  
Betty was smiling at him. Her bottom lip was quivering and there were tears in her eyes.   
  
“Something just doesn’t feel right, does it, Betty?” he tried joking. His half-hearted attempted at a smirk completely fell from his face when Betty reached across the table to put a hand on his cheek. There was no humor left in him anymore. He had to take short, quick breaths to keep himself from crying too.   
  
He swallowed, “Sorry it took me so long.”   
  
“Me too,” she said, apologetically. She moved her hand from his cheek and instead reached for both of his hands, curling her fingers around them tightly. It was only then that he realized his hands were shaking.   
  
“Will you come with me, no questions asked?” She rubbed her thumb along the side of his hand. He focused on that instead of on the bile that was hitting his throat.   
  
“Yes…” He had his suspicions about where she wanted to go, and he didn’t want to think about it. If he did, he probably wouldn’t move.   
  
She leaned forward, and looked directly into his eyes. “Just a little longer. I just need you to deal with this a little bit longer, Juggie.” She stood first, his hands still in hers, and helped pull him up out of the seat.   
  
When they stepped through the door, there was fog out. Jughead could barely see past the parking lot. He hadn’t noticed it before. He was pretty sure it hadn’t actually been there earlier, but he couldn’t think about that right now.   
  
Betty squeezed his hand, and he focused on that instead. He watched her, letting her lead. He counted the strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. Counted the steps forward that she took. Anything not to focus on where they were going. It was like walking death row with Betty, his own personal angel of death.   
  
After all, he had already known deep down that everything happening was his fault.   
  
He halted his steps, his body quivered painfully, and his head was spinning. He felt Betty’s hands cupping his cheeks. “Just a little further, Jug. Please.” He leaned his forehead forward until it was touching hers and took a deep breath. Betty needed him to do this. He needed to do this. He opened his eyes, and nodded once. Betty took it as a sign to lead him ahead.   
  
The fog had gotten so thick that he could barely see a step in front of him. The sun was peeking through, shining into the fog, giving everything an orange, ethereal glow. Betty was fading into it just a few steps ahead of him. He could barely see the branches of the trees stretched out around them as they ventured forward. Betty wasn’t deterred, she continued straight ahead, confident in their destination.   
  
After a few more minutes of walking, they moved from grass to a loose rocky path. Betty stopped and looked around. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, almost in a hug. He was trying very hard not to think about where they were, and was failing. His heart was pounding in his chest.   
  
“Hey,” Betty leaned into him to get his attention, “Look at me.” She was trying to keep her face calm, but it was starting to break. Her eyebrows were creasing together and her eyes were clouding over with tears. When she spoke, her words were unsteady. “I love you, Jug. Really. I just wanted you to know that.”   
  
It wasn’t the worst way to die, he thought.   
  
The moment was interrupted when his bag was suddenly pulled from his side. He staggered, but Betty held him in place, her grip suddenly painfully tight around his chest.   
  
“Get hold of him, Archie!” He heard Veronica call out from a few steps away. Two arms came up from under his and locked around his shoulders.   
  
“What-“ he started to ask, but then he saw Veronica in front of them, his bag in her arms. She was searching through it, and pulled out his laptop.   
  
There were screams so loud that they deafened his ears. He tried to wrestle free, but he was being gripped tight. Betty’s head was buried into his shoulder and he couldn’t push forward. Pain was tearing at his throat, and the noise wouldn’t stop. He tried to twist his arms back, but nothing worked.   
  
Veronica dropped the bag and stepped away from them. He could see the river just a few feet away. She lifted the laptop over her head.   
  
“Stop!” he tried to yell. “Stop!” The arms around him only tightened.   
  
As she flung the laptop forward in the air, everything stopped. 

  
  
“Don’t you think there is something weird about Riverdale, Jug?” Betty said to him, sitting across from him in a booth. “Something just doesn’t feel right.”   
  
“This isn’t some attempt to distract yourself from that lug we call Archie Andrews, is it?”   
  
Her face looked displeased, but he got a weird thrill from teasing her now that her old feelings for Archie had become something Betty could joke about.   
  
“Jughead, please. I’m serious. I know you like to write about Riverdale. Do you write about it because we haven’t made any updates to the town hall in 60 years, or because there’s something else that strikes your curiosity?”   
  
He glanced up at her, fighting a smile. “Okay. Fine. I admit, I’m not just interested in Riverdale because of the aesthetic. How exactly do you intend to research that weird gut feeling you have about our town, Betty Cooper?”   
  
“I thought you might have some ideas.”

Jughead paused for a moment. There was one place that had been nagging at him. 

  
He put a hand out to steady Betty as they climbed down the rocks to the river. “Why Sweetwater river?” Betty asked, after smiling at him gratefully.   
  
“I don’t know, it seems like the one place in town that you would be most likely to find a corpse.”   
  
Betty laughed beside him. But she was just a ghost.   
  
This was just a memory.   
  
He heard the screams again. He was having trouble breathing. He watched as the laptop arched and fell toward the water.   
  
The sound the laptop made when it hit was almost anticlimactic, a dull, empty splash into the water. When it hit, all noise suddenly stopped.   
  
Jughead gasped for air. Only now was he was aware of just how tired he was. His throat was completely hoarse, and it occurred to him then that he had been the source of the screams. There was a quiet sound of sobbing next to him, a sound he recognized. It was Betty. He hadn't even heard Betty crying over his own screams.   
  
He was so tired. Tired of Riverdale. Tired of being alone. Tired of being an outsider.   
  
Betty pulled away and looked up at him. She had streaks down her face from her tears. Her hair had come loose and was tied awkwardly at the base of her neck. He stared down at her, the image burning into him. She had never been more beautiful.

He took a deep, haggard breath, his throat protesting painfully.

There was one thing. One thing he was more tired of than anything else.

Betty’s eyes were glowing as she smiled up at him. He took another breath, easier this time.

He was so tired of pretending that he wasn’t in love with Betty Cooper.  
  
He bent forward to bury his face into her hair, pulling her closer. He could feel himself drifting off.   
  
“Well, it seems to have been a success,” he heard Veronica say. Even as everything was starting to fade away, he couldn’t help but laugh, just a little.

 

  
  
  
  
He knew even before he opened his eyes that he was on Betty’s bed. What shocked him was that he didn’t know anything else. His mind was silent, except for his own wandering thoughts. He blinked his eyes open. Betty was lying on her stomach next to him, her hand resting on his chest.  
  
“Welcome back,” she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.  
  
He didn’t know where her mother was. It was a strange thing to focus on in the moment, but he was so used to knowing. Did she know Betty had brought him up to her room? Had Archie carried him here? He didn’t know what was happening at the school, or who had caused drama downtown.  
  
He let out a deep sigh of relief. He didn’t need to know. He was okay with not knowing.  
  
He started to sit up, moving toward Betty to kiss her, but she eased him back down with her hand. “You’re resting, Jug,” she said with a teasing grin. She leaned forward anyway, catching his lips with hers. He smiled into it.  
  
When she pulled away, she stayed just next to him, kicking her legs against the bed happily.  
  
“What’s next?” he asked her.  
  
“Who knows,” was all she said.

 

  
  
  
Veronica sat in a booth at Pop’s, just enjoying the view. The fog had cleared, and she had a perfect view of the autumn leaves, bright red and brown. She felt reborn. It was still early morning, but she had no desire to move. She could do anything. She could help anyone. She could be the person she wanted to be.  
  
She was free.  
  
A cup of coffee was slid in front of her. She looked up to see Pop smiling at her.  
  
“Oh, I didn’t order anything-”  
  
“It’s on the house,” Pop’s said with a wink. He walked back to the counter, whistling along with the jukebox.  
  
Veronica looked down at her coffee. It was already prepared with cream and sugar. She took one more quick glance at Pop before lifting up the cup. She took a sip, a smile growing on her face.


	7. Coda.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty Cooper has lived her life feeling as though she is trapped in quicksand. Reality morphs around her in intangible, unexplainable ways. When she makes a friend in Veronica Lodge, everything is thrown into further chaos. Finally, while in the eye of the storm, she is able to find a foothold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A HUGE thank you to Yavannie for her work as beta on this fic. She has saved it from so many clunky phrases and oversights. On top of that, her input has been immensely helpful to the overall writing of the narrative. If this ending is at all satisfying to you, it will be because of her efforts. She is a wonderful beta and writer, please go track her work down if for some reason you aren't familiar with her fics already!
> 
> Also, if the concept behind this fic is something that interests you, and you have never seen the 2002-03 anime Princess Tutu, I highly recommend you look it up. It has been influential to me in a lot of ways, especially in the concept surrounding this fic. Princess Tutu and every horror visual novel I have ever loved, tbh.
> 
> Thank you for following this strange fic to the end! 
> 
> As always, art for this fic can be found [on tumblr.](http://satelliteinasupernova.tumblr.com)
> 
> Heads up, this chapter does include self-harm in the first half. Tread carefully!

 

Betty could hear birds chirping when she woke up. She took her time opening her eyes, even though she could feel the sun coming through the window. She felt refreshed, and took a deep breath of air as she sat up. Her room was a familiar sight. It had been the same since she was a child, with just a few photos and trinkets added over time. There was something comforting in the stability of it.

She stepped up to her window. It had a clear view of the bedroom of her best friend, Archie Andrews. They had spent their childhoods calling out to each other over the distance, having silent conversations when their windows were closed, gesturing wildly to get the message across. They may be in high school now, but that hadn’t changed. There was something comforting about that, too.

This morning, though, Betty felt ready. Ready for a change. She had held her feelings for Archie tight to her chest for years, knowing the time wasn’t right. Now was the time. She would lay it all out for him. She would ask Archie to the upcoming dance, ask him to go out with her, and they would start the next phase of their lives.

As she stood next to the window, Archie stood up and came into view. At first, he took a moment to glance and type into his phone, but when he looked up he noticed her in the window. His smile was immediate. She waved to him, and he returned it happily.

Today was the day.

Archie moved out of view, and Betty slowly let her hand drop. She could be brave about this. She knew the timing was right. As her hand fell to her side, a streak of red caught her attention.

She froze. Across her palm were ragged cuts, a series of crescent shapes. The damage had clearly been made by her own nails. She had long had the habit of gripping her hands into fists when she was upset, but she had never seen the wounds this bad before. She couldn’t remember doing it at all.

She took a ragged breath. Everything was fine, she told herself. She would continue with the plan. Ask Archie out to the dance. Her happiness would be on the other side.

She wasn’t feeling as confident anymore.

 

“Archie,” she began, as they sat across from each other at Pop’s. He had happily agreed to join her at their usual booth after school. Now was the perfect chance. The diner was empty. Archie was smiling back at her, glowing in deep red hues. It was perfect. It should have been perfect.

Betty took a deep breath and twisted her hands, taking a quick glance at the wounds there.

“What’s up, Betty?” Archie asked, laughing lightly.

It was now or never, she told herself. “I’ve been working on the dance that’s coming up, and I really like how it’s coming along.” Archie was smiling at her with encouragement, so she continued. “I think this dance will be really special, and I was wondering if… I was wondering if you’d like to…” She took another breath, “Will you go with me? To the dance, Archie?”

He had a dull smile on his face, and she knew immediately that he hadn’t really understood what she meant. “I like you, Archie. I’ve always liked you. I would really love it if we went to the dance. You know, as a couple.”

Even as the words came out of her mouth, something felt off. She was certain that she had said these words before. She already knew what the answer would be.

“…Betty,” Archie said, sadly. She didn’t really need to hear the rest. “I’m sorry, Betty. I’ve never thought of you that way. You’re like a sister to me.”

Betty forced a smile. Everything around her felt distant. She was sitting in the booth across from Archie, listening to him turn her down, but it was more like she was just watching it happen. As though it was just playing on a screen in front of her. She was surprised that she didn’t feel more disappointed.

She was about to tell Archie that it was fine, that she understood, when the bell to the door chimed. A gust of the outside air carried through the diner, and when it hit her she heard her own voice. _Let’s go to the dance instead, Jug._

She couldn’t remember it, but she was certain she had said it. The words hit her like a stab to the heart. She had felt empty of emotion before, but now she was fighting back tears. She blinked quickly to quell the feeling and glanced up. Archie was looking over her shoulder. She turned to follow his gaze.

Stepping up to Pop was a girl she had never seen before, dressed in a long black cloak.  When she approached them, the stranger introduced herself as Veronica Lodge, returning to her parents’ hometown. A feeling of terror chilled Betty’s heart. She couldn’t fully grasp it, but there was a thought seeping in from the edges of her mind. She wanted to tell Veronica to run. To leave if she could. She didn’t. Instead, she offered to help Veronica at school.

When Veronica left them, the feeling was gone. She glanced back at Archie. He was still starry-eyed, watching Veronica walk out to the open door of a fancy black car. Briefly, she wondered if the passing feeling had been jealousy, but that didn’t feel quite right.

After Veronica was out of sight, Archie looked up at her. “I’ll walk home with you. Are you ready?” Betty nodded, and followed him when he got up. When she looked out in front of her, her eyes met Jughead’s.

It felt like she had been hit with electricity. She hadn’t even realized he was there with them. For a moment, they just stared at each other. There were unspoken words bubbling up her throat. She didn’t even know what she wanted to say.

Jughead looked away from her sharply, and the buzz was gone. Instead, there was a painful shadow of the feeling, like freezer burn, leaving a hollow emptiness throughout her whole body.

“Are you coming?” Archie asked, holding the door open.

She took another glance at Jughead, but he was typing at his laptop as though nothing had happened. Reluctantly, she followed Archie out of the diner.

She was quiet while she walked home with Archie, grasping at understanding feelings that had left as quickly as they had come. She couldn’t explain them. She couldn’t explain the wounds on her hands either. There was a missing puzzle piece to her memories, some important knowledge, gone.

When they reached the driveway to her house, Archie paused beside her. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize how you felt, Betty.” She could tell that he really was sorry. He was worried, too. “I hope we’re okay?”

Betty was surprised to find that regarding that at least, she was okay.

She made her way up to her bedroom, flopping down on her bed without even bothering to take off her shoes. _Let’s go to the dance instead, Jug,_ she remembered saying. A door creaked open in her mind, and memories came flooding through it.

 

“Let’s go to the dance instead, Jug,” she had said, her hand cupping his face, softly.

“It doesn't work like that.” His voice cracked when he spoke. His eyes had looked so desperate.

“We haven't tried it before, how do we know, really? Let's just give it a shot." She had just wanted to try. If he was beside her, she was sure it could happen. Things could change.

"I don't want to accept that I have to do things I don't want to do anymore,” she insisted.

For the briefest of moments, Jughead’s eyes had been bright. She’d smiled in response, she had been so sure he would say-

In a heartbeat, the look was gone, replaced with fear and panic. He had stood up abruptly, separating them. From the other side of the room, he paced in circles. “How many times, Betty? How many times is it worth getting our hopes up only for them to get dashed on the rocks. I..” his voice cracked, but he continued, “How many times do I have to watch you forget again? It doesn’t matter how many times we try. This,” his voice rose as he put his arm up, gesturing around them. She knew what he meant. Riverdale. “This is never going to stop, no matter how many times we try to break through. We just do what is expected of us anyway. You… you will always be the perfect girl,” Betty winced, but her voice had abandoned her. “And I will always be...”

Jughead put his hands over his face. His fingers curled in. “How do we know anything we feel here is real? We think we're -what? Rebelling? Maybe this is just part of the whole game. The lonely outsider in love with the girl-next-door. Just when he gets a taste of it, it's gone. Again.” His words were biting as he threw his hands back down, “Sounds poignant to me.”

Betty felt like her world was coming apart. Jughead had never spoken like this before.

She stared openly at him. What could she say? It was real to her, it had always been real. But to Jughead…

Tentatively, Jughead looked up to meet her eyes. A silence lingered, and Jughead stared at her, his expression pleading. She didn’t know what she could say, what he wanted her to say. It wasn't until her eyes clouded over that she realized she was crying.

She shook her head, trying to stop the onslaught of tears, but as she did Jughead moved toward her. The moment Jughead pulled her into a kiss, just slightly rough with desperation, her tears started to fall freely down her face.

She felt shattered, broken into hundreds of brittle pieces. Jughead’s hands were firmly gripping both sides of her waist, and it felt like the only thing keeping her together. She had always thought their relationship was an escape from Riverdale, from its rules, but all along, she had just been another trap for Jughead. Lured in over and over again regardless how he really felt.

Jughead pulled away from her just long enough to take a gasp of breath before covering her lips again. She reached for his cheek, her hand quaking uncontrollably against his face. She knew she should pull away, but miserably, she couldn’t force herself to do it. Was this the last time she would ever kiss him?

Eventually, the heavy frantic kisses eased into a series of soft, brief ones. When Jughead lifted away far enough for her to look up into his eyes, they were deep with sadness. She knew; this was an end.

Betty couldn’t keep a sob from escaping her throat. Pain flickered across Jughead’s face in response. “I’m sorry,” he started to say. What did he have to apologize for? She had been the one content in this little dream world she thought they had created together.

“Do you really think that this, us, is all just because of Riverdale?” she asked, even though she was afraid to hear it said.

He glanced away from her, and reached for her hand instead. He wrapped his hand gently around her wrist, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

There was no denying it then. Betty fell back, sitting down on her bed. All remaining strength had left her body.

"I have to go..." Jughead said softly as he placed a hand to her cheek. "You probably won't remember this tomorrow."

Somewhere deep in her heart she had selfishly wished that were true, but she knew she couldn’t let that happen. She would have to do everything she could to make sure she wouldn't forget. She couldn't pull Jughead into this again.

As Jughead opened the window and moved to head down the ladder, Betty wanted to say something. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, that no matter what happened, she always would. But that wasn't what he needed to hear. So instead she said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Jughead."

Jughead looked back over his shoulder, his lips barely turned up into a pained smile. It took him a moment before he responded, "I'll see you tomorrow, Betts."

And he was gone.

She couldn’t let herself forget. She wouldn’t do this to him again. Gritting her teeth, she had curled her nails into her palms, painfully breaking skin. She did it several times more, until blood was dripping from her hands. She hoped that it would be enough.

  
  
Betty opened her eyes. She was still lying awkwardly on her bed, her feet hanging off the side with her shoes still on. She’d remembered. She moved her hands out from under her so she could take another look at her palms. The deep red marks were there. She remembered making them now. To wake herself up- to make herself remember. It had worked.  
  
Other memories came with it. A cycle of forgetting, of following the same path. Once upon a time, maybe she had been in love with Archie, but it was different now. The girl in love with her best friend, the boy-next-door, that was just who she was supposed to be. She had tried to change herself, to break free, but it was like being trapped tightly by a rubber band. The further she stretched, instead of breaking free, she would just be snapped right back into place.  
  
She didn’t know how many times she had told Archie her feelings in some manner by now. Requests for dances, dates to the drive-in, heartfelt confessions at Pop’s. It failed every time, the same way. The cycles had continued, but as they did, her feelings had grown hollow. She would find that the rejection never came as a surprise, and in the end, she didn’t feel like grieving at all. She stepped out of each confession just wanting to be different.  
  
Waiting for her every time was Jughead.  
  
At first, she would realize that she just missed him. Being around him. From what she remembered, the three of them -Archie, Jughead, and herself- had been constant companions. Until they started high school, and suddenly everything was different. Jughead was a stranger to them. Betty couldn’t wrap her head around it fully, but it was a truth she always fell back into. Just like her feelings for Archie.  
  
She would sit at Pop’s knowing he was there, typing away at his laptop. While she was sitting there, she would hear whispers. Forgotten memories bubbling up to the surface.  
  
Then she would remember.  
  
_Something doesn't feel right, Jug._  
   
It would be on the tip of her tongue. She knew if she just stepped forward and said those words again, everything would come flooding back to her. She just had to take those steps.  
  
That couldn’t happen this time. It had to be different.  
  
It already was different. There was a stranger in Riverdale.

 

The morning alarm rang, and Betty jumped awake at the sound. Without a moment’s pause, she opened the drawer beside her bed and pulled out her diary, a yellow notepad, and a pen. The notepad was blank, just as it was every morning. That was no longer surprising. Any notes she made were always gone the next day. The morning after her conversation with Archie, the flood of new memories had stayed with her, but when she pulled out her diary, she hadn’t recognized the entry. Instead of her detailed account of her day, of her memories, it had been replaced with a long heartbroken entry about her tragically failed confession, and how Archie had followed it up by ogling the new girl in town.

Since then, Betty had taken the offensive. Every morning, she would write down everything she could remember on a small notepad and compare it with the entries in her diary.  
  
Her notes were rushed, barely coherent. She listed the details flickering in her mind. Any memory that she could reach while she was still waking from sleep, she wrote down. Veronica Lodge had come to town. They had become friends. They had studied together??? She wrote a series of question marks next to the note. They had talked about it the next day, but Veronica had questioned it. She had said something about cheerleading instead. Betty knew better than to trust her own memory.

She moved on to the important part. Jughead. Jughead was trapped, feeling things that Riverdale was forcing him to feel. Don’t talk to Jughead, she wrote in large letters. Don’t be selfish. It would only hurt him more.

When she had written down as many details as she could remember, she turned to her diary. She opened it to the latest entry. It was about as expected. A long drawn out rant about her concerns over the attention Archie was giving Veronica. A certainty that they would start dating behind her back. That Veronica’s friendship with Betty was just a means to an end.

She knew that she was supposed to feel that way, but she didn’t. Her biggest concern was how all of this might impact Veronica. Betty was watching Veronica wade ankle deep in water, knowing full well that the current would pull her under eventually. Even knowing that, she couldn’t say anything. Anytime she tried, panic would hit her. Her heart would beat painfully in her chest and her breaths would come short. Words she had wanted to say wouldn’t leave her mouth.

All she could do was hope she could find some other way to help. She didn’t want to see Veronica become like the rest of them. Veronica had a way of breaking through Riverdale’s rules, and Betty wanted to help her. She wanted Riverdale to break.

“I’m going with Archie to the drive-in tonight,” Veronica said. Betty wasn’t sure what more she could do. Somehow, some way, Archie and Veronica were going to be drawn together. Betty wished it really was just an ill-advised choice that Veronica was making. That she just really liked Archie, but wasn’t very good at being a friend. Betty thought she knew Veronica better than that by now. She just wanted Veronica to have the choice.

She watched Veronica march into cheerleading practice, and leave having made the team hers. Soon it would be over. Just like Cheryl, she would be stuck on repeat making the same decisions over and over again.

“If you’re going to be angry about this just say so. I can’t deal with you just being passive-aggressive about it. If you want to tell me off, then do it!” Veronica yelled at her in the middle of an argument, the same one they had been circling around since the beginning. _Oh_ , Betty thought. She looked at Veronica. Maybe she couldn’t tell Veronica why what she was doing bothered her, but she could do something else. She could fight her on it. Maybe all Veronica needed was a good push back.

“You should think about what it really is that you want, Veronica,” Betty said, finally. She could only hope the words would stick.

 

She was only halfway through getting dressed for the dance when she had to stop and sit down on the bed, feeling herself starting to cry. She wanted desperately to talk to Jughead, even just to see him, but what good would that do? Ever since she had remembered their conversation, she felt like she was just made of shattered pieces, held together only with a thin layer of glue. It had been easier to distract herself from it when she was with Veronica, but now even that felt out of her control.

She swallowed a sob and grabbed one of her books from her desk, fanning her face with it to help dry her tears. When she was dressed, makeup applied, and hair curled, she stared at herself in the mirror. Who was she, she wondered. Just a puppet on strings? A set piece to someone else’s love story? She remembered that tender expression Jughead would give right before he kissed her. She took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling willing herself not to cry again.

It didn’t matter. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. She repeated it over in her head. Maybe if she said it enough, she would really start to believe it.

As she was walked down the stairs, the doorbell rang. Not sure what to expect, she opened the door to find Veronica smiling at her nervously.

For just a moment, she was confused. “You know Archie's house is next door, right?”

Veronica’s smile fell, but the look that followed was apologetic and sincere. “I've canceled my plans with Archie, I think it will be much more fun to go with my new best friend. With you, B. If you’ll have me.”

Betty felt a smile take over her. A weight lifted from her shoulders. Apparently, some things could still turn out alright.

 

Betty felt comfortably warm when she woke up under the smooth silk sheets of Veronica’s bed, but when she opened her eyes, she was hit with anxiety.

Something was off.

She looked around her, but nothing seemed different from the night before. As quietly as she could, she eased out of the bed, and crawled down next to her bag. She had intended to write down notes if she could, to follow her normal morning routine, but instead she pulled out her diary first. She flipped through familiar pages until she reached the recent entries. Instead of a new entry, there were pages of words completely scratched out with black ink. All the words underneath were illegible.

From the bed, Veronica stirred and slowly sat up. Betty didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what to expect. Usually, Riverdale tried to fill in the gaps in her memory, but she didn’t know what to make of her diary, redacted like a confidential government document. She could remember the night before, Veronica picking her up from her house and taking her to the dance, but what would Veronica remember?

She was uneasy as they went to eat breakfast, until Veronica broke the heavy atmosphere. “I don’t know about you, but I’m surprised my calves aren’t sore after the dance last night. Usually, I always end up regretting it in the morning.”

Veronica had answered the question eating away at Betty without any prompting. She remembered, and whatever weirdness they would find themselves in, they would share it together. Betty couldn’t help it; she laughed. Even if they hadn’t talked about it, even if they couldn’t talk about it, she was happy just not to be alone this time.

 

 

“Let’s go to Pop’s!” Veronica said after the cleanup of the gym was complete. There was a mischievous look on her face that Betty didn’t trust.

“What are you plotting?”

“Nothing,” she replied, unconvincingly. “I’m just craving something sweet from Pop’s.”

Betty still had the feeling she had something else planned, but she humored her and let Veronica take the lead. It wasn’t long after they had stepped through the door that Betty regretted it. Veronica moved straight toward Jughead’s booth. Betty reached out to stop her. “Veronica…” she tried. When she looked up, Jughead was looking at her.

She couldn’t-

Veronica was insistent, and Betty couldn’t explain to her why she didn’t want to go. Betty followed Veronica to the booth, her heart pounding in her chest.

The most painful thing was how much she wanted to look at him. Really study him. How was he doing? Was he getting sleep? She had been trying to keep a distance, and because of that she knew so little. It felt ironic to sit here, to remember everything, but not to say-

_Something doesn't feel right, Jug._

Their own little code. Betty’s way of saying _I remember_. When her memories would break through, when the cycle with Archie had run its course, the falsehoods would start to flake away, and she would remember Jughead. She would remember them. She would walk to the other side of the diner, sit down across from him and smile. They weren’t alone, they had each other through this.

That was what she had thought anyway. For Jughead, it was just phase two of this constant cycle.

Betty didn’t know what to do with her hands, she tried to find a comfortable position for her bag instead. Her diary was in there. Long entries dedicated to love for Archie, heartbreak over her feelings. Nothing about Jughead.

“So we've had an interesting morning, Jughead,” Veronica said after she had made an order with Pop. “We went and helped clean up the decorations for the dance, even though we decided to stay home and have a girl's night. Apparently.”

Betty stared at her. She was talking about Riverdale. What Riverdale had done. The effects of the blacked-out notes in her diary. She was talking about it with Jughead. Was this something that she was used to doing? How long had she and Jughead been talking about these things?

For the first time, Betty really was jealous of Veronica.

Betty couldn’t even say anything about what had happened. She couldn’t sit across from Jughead and talk about it. She couldn’t-

She had to leave. Betty fished for her phone and pretended to have a message from her mom. It was probably obvious what she was doing, but she didn’t care. She had to leave. Jughead and Veronica were looking at her, almost pleading. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this with them.

She stood up to go and Veronica stopped her. “We’re still on for our sightseeing tomorrow, right, B?”

Right. Her frantic panic eased slightly. Just because she couldn’t do this, it didn’t mean there wasn’t something that she could do. There was something about Sweetwater River. Something that was calling to her. It was a feeling she didn’t trust, and that meant it was worth investigating.

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

Betty walked home and tried not to think about how much she had wanted to curl up next to Jughead in the booth and hear everything that he had to say. Her heart burned at the idea of the three of them, talking openly about what they had experienced. For them to be able to work all this out, together. But she couldn’t.

 

 

There was snow on the ground the next day. Betty tried not to think of it as ominous. It didn’t matter what roadblocks came their way today, she was determined to carry on. Veronica wasn’t particularly pleased about the situation, but Betty tried to stay upbeat.

After she had slept on it, she felt a little bit better about what had happened the day before. Jughead wasn’t alone. Betty wasn’t alone either. Maybe she needed to stay away from Jughead to avoid hurting him, but Veronica was still there to bridge the gap. She wanted to pester Veronica about everything that she knew, but she couldn’t. She knew all her resolve would crumble once she crossed that line.

There was a soft look on Veronica’s face when they reached the bridge. It took a moment for Betty to realize that Veronica was standing exactly where her father had been in the photo in her room. There was something eerie about it that she couldn't explain. When she had looked at the photo in Veronica’s room, it had dislodged something in her mind. Even though she couldn't remember coming to the river before, the view was achingly familiar.  It had felt like it was calling to her.

As they stood there now, replicating the image from the photo, Betty wondered what Veronica thought of Riverdale. Betty hated it, but she also loved it. She had affection and nostalgia that was impossible to let go of. Standing here on the bridge, she could feel it clearer than ever.

She was struck with a strange feeling of déjà vu. She hadn’t been here, she was sure, but...

Betty walked her way to the other side of the bridge. It was covered in snow, but down off the side of the road was a handrail leading down to the river. It all seemed so familiar.

They made their way down to the riverbed. The snow made everything a flawless, blinding white. The river was a sheet of ice.

  
  
“Why Sweetwater River?” she remembered herself asking. From when, she didn’t know. It felt like lifetimes ago.

“It seems like the one place in town that you would be most likely to find a corpse.” Jughead said beside her.  
  
Tentatively, she had approached the water. It hadn’t been frozen like it was now, but it was unnervingly still. She could see herself in the reflection, but she didn’t like what was looking back at her. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest. With a suddenly intake of breath, her feet tripped from under her. She fell.  
  
She blinked and there was water all around her. It was pitch black; she could barely see her hands in front of her face. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. Something moved in front of her. Something was there.

“Betty!” Jughead yelled, pulling her out of the water.

Betty blinked again. She was standing at the riverbed, surrounded by snow. Veronica was leaning over the river, staring into the ice. Betty moved before she could think. She dragged Veronica back.

It wasn’t safe. It wasn’t safe here. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t talk. The words lodged in her throat. Her whole body was shaking. Veronica reached for her, held her. “Should I take you home?” she asked.

Betty could only nod. Jughead had asked her the same thing.  
  
He had pulled her from the water, his arms supporting her. “What happened, you suddenly fell.” Softly, he had moved the wet strands of hair that were clinging to her face, “I know you know how to swim.”  
  
“I don’t know… I just…” She couldn’t explain it in words; the fear. They were sitting in the water, but it didn’t come up further than their waist. Just moments ago, she had been drowning in it.  
  
Jughead waited patiently for her to answer, but when she just shook her head, he helped her up. His bag made a sound as it splashed against the water.  
  
“Crap, it’s soaked,” he groaned. As they stepped out of the water, he searched through the bag, pulling out his laptop and awkwardly drying it with his shirt. “I hope it’s okay..”  
  
She looked at it, unsure. “I’m sorry, Juggie.”  
  
Jughead put the laptop under his arm, his other arm wrapping around her shoulder. “It’s fine. You tripped.”  
  
He led her away from the river with confident steps, “Should I take you home? I think that’s enough sleuthing for now.”  
  
Betty nodded, but she looked back over her shoulder. Even as they made it out of the woods, it felt like something had followed them.

 

  
It wasn’t until she was at home, lying in her bed, that the chill finally left her. When it was gone, it was replaced with anger. She was angry about how powerless she had felt. Something had taken hold of her, had tried to take hold of Veronica.

It had Jughead. Through him it had gotten ahold of everyone in Riverdale.

She laid in her bed staring at the ceiling. She needed to do something and she needed help.

 

Pop didn’t look surprised to see her there, even though she had never come to the diner this late before. She had messaged Veronica, but there was no guarantee she would come. Despite that, Betty was confident that she would. Pop set two cups of tea down just before Veronica stepped through the door.

She was dressed in a long coat. Betty recognized the fabric from Veronica’s pajama top under her collar. She had come instantly and without question. Betty could only return the favor by being as open as she could. To actually talk, no matter how painful it might be. She took a deep breath.

“You said if I ever needed help, all I had to do was ask.”

“And I meant it,” Veronica said immediately.

“Please, Veronica. Help me save Jug.”

Veronica lips curved into a wide grin, “I knew it. Are you ready to tell me about your dramatic romance? I swear, you two weren’t subtle yesterday. Which reminds me, I do have something to say on that matter.”

“Veronica…” Betty groaned.

“Fine,” she said, resting her hands on the table, suddenly looking professional. “Tell me what you meant then. By saving him.”

Betty took another breath. This was where things could get difficult. “I can’t- I have trouble talking about Riverdale the way you can. About what happens here. When I try, I start to shake, and-“ She could already feel a quake in her hand. She laid it flat on the table instead. “Sometimes it’s okay. When I’m about to fall asleep, even occasionally when I’m at Pop’s, so I thought.” She looked around the diner. “It was worth a try.”

Veronica moved a hand out to cover Betty’s. “I’m here for you, B.”

“There’s something in this town. In the river, I guess. It haunts everywhere. It bleeds into everything. Into Jughead’s- When Jughead-” she had to stop. She swallowed. Her throat was tight.

“Jughead’s writing.” Veronica concluded. Betty nodded to her in response. “I’ve been wondering about that.  Do you think something will happen if he stops writing about Riverdale?”

“I don’t know. I think he’s trapped by what he writes,” Betty answered. “I think the rest of Riverdale gets pulled in with him. Don’t you?”

“Yes.” Veronica looked thoughtful. “He was the one who caused the change at the dance, you know. He’d written some cliché description of me and Archie going together while you watched from the sidelines. I didn’t want that to happen, and neither did he. Whatever he did, it changed things.”

Betty couldn’t help but smile. They had both been looking out for her.

“I don’t know how exactly to stop it,” Betty muttered, thoughtfully.

“Maybe if he couldn’t type on that laptop,” Veronica answered with a strain of annoyance in her voice. “What if we just threw it out to sea?”  
  
Betty thought of Jughead sitting in the river with her, waist deep. His bag beside them.

“Or back into the river…” Betty muttered to herself. The minute she said it, it felt like an epiphany.

Veronica laughed.

“I know it sounds kind of childish,” Betty continued, feeling more certain with every passing moment, “but I think we should do it. I think we should get rid of it.”

Veronica studied her, and her expression grew more serious. “He never lets that laptop leave his side. How are we going to get it from him? I don’t know what our chances are of overpowering him. We’ll need help.”

Betty smiled, “I know a guy we can probably rope into helping us. He’d do anything for Jug.”

Veronica grinned at that, but then she paused. “B, we need to talk about what Jughead told me.” Betty’s breath caught in her throat. She could tell from Veronica’s expression where this was going. “Did he tell you… did he tell you that his feelings for you weren’t real?”

Betty closed her eyes, she could feel that annoying pain reach her eyes that always came when she tried not to cry, “Well, it’s true. For him. Just like my feelings for Archie. They weren’t real, they were just… a part of being in Riverdale.”

Veronica hummed, disapproving. “I don’t believe that at all. He’s just scared. It’s not like I can’t understand how he feels. Maybe it’s that we’re similar in some way, but I think he’s just clinging to that idea because it’s easier than what he’s really frightened of.”

“What do you mean?” There was hope welling up in Betty’s chest, and she was trying desperately to squash it down.

“He’s just terrified your feelings for him aren’t real. I’ve seen the way you act around Archie, Betty. Jughead’s not like that. It’s not the same at all.”

She really didn’t want to get her hopes up, “You don’t know that, V…”

“I don’t. There’s only one way to know for sure, right?”

Betty looked down at Veronica’s hand, still wrapped around hers. She wanted to be stronger. She wanted to face things head on like Veronica did.

“Right.”

 

After the plan was in place, Betty stepped into Pop’s early in the morning. She had watched Jughead walk in and knew he wouldn’t have had time to get his laptop out yet.

She didn’t walk over to Jughead’s booth, even though she knew that would be easier. She wanted this to be his choice. She wanted him to make the decision to come to her.

For a few minutes they watched each other, and she was afraid that he would turn away, that he would go back to his laptop like she wasn’t there. He didn’t. His movements were slow and awkward, but he stood up from his seat and dragged himself over to her booth.

“Something just doesn’t feel right, does it, Betty?” he joked after he sat down, and she knew then that he had been waiting for her to say those words.

She reached for his face and it felt good just to be able to touch him again. She had missed him so much.

“Will you come with me, no questions asked?” He looked terrified, but he agreed anyway. She would have to be strong for both of them. She would get them to the river, and then maybe all this could end. Jughead would finally be free to feel however he wanted.

She helped pull him from his seat and led him outside. There was already fog descending around them, as if trying to block them out. The deeper they went, the harder it was to see, but Betty knew the way.

Jughead paused a few times, stiff and pained. She couldn’t let him stop. They had to make it closer to the river. She didn’t think they would have another chance. If they failed now, she was certain Riverdale would make them regret it.

When they made it to the riverbank, a few feet away from the water, Betty stopped. It was close enough that it wouldn’t take more than a throw to get rid of the laptop.

She turned to Jughead. She needed to tell him- she needed to say it before any of this happened. She needed him to understand how much she loved him.

“I love you, Jug. Really.” she said, as the tears she had been holding back started to fall. “I just wanted you to know that.”

For just a moment, his face softened. It was that same tender expression that she loved. That made her feel loved.

The moment ended when Veronica ran out from behind the trees and pulled Jughead’s bag from his shoulder. Betty tightened her grip around Jughead’s chest, forcing him to stay in place by pressing her full weight against him.

“Get hold of him, Archie!” Veronica yelled from behind them. Jughead was forced back when Archie gripped him by the arms.

Betty couldn’t see what was happening. Her face was pressed firmly against Jughead’s chest, but he suddenly started to scream. Horrible, painful screaming. Sobs broke from her chest. She clung to him as tightly as she could. She could only hope that this would work. That Jughead would be free. She didn’t know what would happen after that.

Betty’s only prayer for herself was that she wouldn’t lose her memories. She held desperately onto Jughead, but she was also clinging to each and every memory she could. She sifted through them on a loop. Jughead’s face when she sat across from him at the diner, a complex mix of relief, warmth and pain every time. Jughead lying next to her on her bed, playing with the end of her sleeve before dozing off. His tender smile every time he kissed her. It may not mean anything when this was done, but she didn’t want to let them go. She didn’t want to become someone who didn’t treasure it. Betty Cooper loved Jughead Jones, and if she couldn’t remember that, she would be someone else entirely. A stranger.

She heard of the laptop hitting the water behind her. She knew it was done not because of that, but because Jughead immediately lost all fight in him. Like a puppet with its strings cut, he limped forward, only held up by Archie and herself.

She kept her face buried against his chest, a feeling of panic rising in her. She played the memories over in her head. How would she know they were all there?

Sitting in the diner. Studying in her room. His kiss, that brief kiss to her cheek when she was about to fall asleep.

“Hang in there, Betts,” he had said. Her eyes were so heavy that it took effort to open them, but she wanted to see him. He leaned forward again to kiss her hair this time. As he pulled away he whispered, “We’ll get out of this.” His face was open with hope in a way that she had never seen from him before.

As Betty slowly pulled away from Jughead and looked up at him, she realized it was the same expression he had on his face now.

His chest was heaving as though he had only just come up for air. His voice was scratched and quiet. Words flowed out between breaths when he whispered to her, “I’m sorry, Betty.”

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered again as he buried his face in her hair, kissing the side of her head. He wrapped his arms around her fully. “I love you.” His voice was muffled, but his words echoed through her. She released a sob, as the heaviness in her heart was suddenly lifted. She buried her face into his shoulder.

For once, it felt like everything really would be okay.


End file.
